Wines for tonight's event were acquired by Todd and Gordon. We had several great ideas for themes, with the idea that we would spend a bit of the surplus in the slush fund (but not on high end Chardonnay, right Steph?). However, we talked about the subject matter and prevaricated for so long that we ran out of time to do a strategically coordinated event. The theme of the tasting ended up being three wines that Todd wanted to try, and three that Gordon wanted to try. But you know what? It worked. My wines were 1 to 3, and Todd's were 4 to 6. We had 15 attendees.
Wine 1 - this one was dark ruby, and slightly bricky around the edges. The nose started a bit raisiny, and was definitely funky. After a while a really strong toasty smell emerged that was quite pleasant. The wine had l/m acid, and tannins that at first I thought were fairly soft. Ripe red cherry fruit, with a medium finish that was a tad herbal. After it sat for a while the palate became a bit more complex, with some fig and chocolate notes coming out. The tannins also became more pronounced. An interesting wine that will get better with time. 15 pts.
Wine 2 - dark ruby all the way. The nose is currant, and it has a cool sort of red fruit minty note, and is a tad herbal. Very nice nose. l/m to m acid, similar tannins, dk currant fruit and a definite cola note. The wine has a somewhat light texture, which is interesting balanced with the flavours. Definitely cab, but it has cool climate characteristics. I like it. 16 pts.
Wine 3 - inky. Nose starts smoky and sulfury, with a vague chemical note. Stays smoky as far as I am concerned. l/m acid, relatively soft tannins, plum fruit with a minerally note. The finish seems a bit odd to me. 13 pts.
Wine 4 - dark ruby all the way. The nose is dark currant, with a mix of cola and vanilla. I really like this nose. Excellent. Textbook california cab - oops, am I giving it away? Unfortunately, the palate does not live up to the nose. l/m acid, close to m tannins, red fruit that turns in the mid palate to a sort of fuzzy tannin finish with little flavour. Too bad, so much potential for a crazy high score. 15 pts.
Wine 5 - dark ruby again. I detect a whiff of acetone (Dave I says VA), but there is also vanilla and fruit and an herbal note. l/m acid, close to m tannins, with an intense currant mocha flavour. Wow, quite a mouthful. Crap, if we mixed the nose of 4 with this palate, we would have a winner. As it is, 15 pts.
Wine 6 - dark ruby again. The nose has currant fruit, but also a note of mint, stalk, and oak. Very nice. l/m acid, similar tannins, dark cherry fruit and mocha cola notes. Long chocolate finish. This reminds me of a high quality california merlot. I like it. 15.5 pts, close to 16.
I guessed that 4 and 5 were California Cabs, and 6 was a California Merlot. My favourite was 2, followed by 6. Least favourite was 3.
The group preferred 4 (6 first place votes). 2 was the second favourite. 1 was the overwhelming least favourite with 7 votes. I think the old world funk in wine 1, definitely an acquired taste, was not obviously not popular.
Wine 1 was the 2004 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello is Italian for expensive sangiovese. Brunello is an area in Tuscany that produces heavier, more intense sangio's than Chianti, and the wines are usually pretty pricey. The wine spectator gave this wine 96 points, and it cost $45 at Costco. You don't get to try a 96 point wine everyday, so this was an experience.
Wine 2 was the 2005 Whitehall Lane Napa Cab. $40. A good producer that I have liked in the past. Wine Enthusiast gave this 93 pts. A solid wine.
Wine 3 was the 2006 Teusner Ebenezer Road Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia. Regular $30, on sale for $15. Parker gave it 93 pts. Given the rating, I was disappointed.
Wine 4 was the 2003 Gallo of Sonoma Estate Cabernet. $40.
Wine 5 was the 2004 Trefethen Cabernet. $46.
Wine 6 was the 2005 Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry, which is a meritage blend. Todd acquired this somewhere for $30, which is an excellent price. I have enjoyed this wine in the past, and I expect to enjoy this vintage for a while.
That is all for now.
Gordon
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