Blind Pinots w/Dinner & Charcuterie

Me & my GF headed to Keith's after work on the premise of tasting some Pinots blind. We each threw in 2 bottles and only traded hints at what was bagged, making it sorta 1 1/2 blind (between single & double). I brought a charcuterie plate we worked on throughout the night, Megan made a delicious chocolate/raisin croissant bread pudding, and Keith's main course of braised veal shanks were great.

Some Bordeaux that had been opened a few days earlier, plus a youthful ZH.

• 2002 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Nose of cedar, a little dry earth, faint red & dried cherries, clear cassis tones. Tasting brings a core of dark cherry, good acid throughout, an underlying earth element and a hint of salinity on the finish that is of medium length.
  
  Kdawg gave me a glass of this 3 days after it was opened; judging by his note, I didn't catch it at its best--but still very much enjoyed it. 88+

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• 1994 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Häuserer 92 Points

  France, Alsace

  Nose of vaseline & petrol with a great underlying bouquet of perfumey white fruits--peach/peach pit, apple, etc. etc. Tasting brings a big juicy burst of tropical white fruits up front, almost creating the sensation of sweetness. Racy lemon, obvious white peach, some green apple & apricot show themselves boldly through the finish. Strong acid and good length give this the sense of being very fresh and still youthfully exuberant.

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It was interesting that these two RRV were side by side. It was pretty apparent they were similar and from California. Both are delicious. Originally I only felt the Ketcham marginally better, but after extended air time (and on the next day) it really unfolded with richer fruit tones and revealing a floral aspect.

• 2007 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Olivet Lane Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted blind (but knew it was Pinot).
  Faint crushed red cherry, some slight brown sugar & a little spice on the nose. In the mouth it's of medium weight with good structure & balance throughout. Mixed red berries but eventually strawberry becomes most noticeable. Dark spices are sprinkled throughout and become more prominent & toasty alongside dark red fruits on the finish. Good acid gives it a fresh feeling. 90-91

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• 2006 Ketcham Estate Pinot Noir Ketcham Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Decanted for about 30 minutes, tasted single blind.
  Candied black cherries on the nose, along with spice and a hint of ginger. With an extra hour or two of air (and on the next day) the nose opened up with more racy fruit & a great rose petal hint--give this plenty of air and you will be rewarded. It entices the palate with dark, vibrant raspberries & cherries that are pure and rich. Spices integrate beautifully and a little vanilla makes for added interest. Dark & brown baking spices show themselves on lengthy the finish, accentuating the fresh black cherries & that vanilla-ish tinge. Good structure keeps the flavors moving & interesting. Day two brought out more complexity (deeper fruit & spices) on the back end as well--again, give it some air.
  
  Clearly Russian River, done very well in a sexy, complex package. 91-92

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Here the Burg was clearly better but I was surprised that the VdP didn't stick out as horrible--we both felt it weakest, but for the pedigree and price I was very pleased with its showing (I called it 88 when first tasting).

• 2006 Gérard Bertrand Pinot Noir Aigle Noir 87 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc

  Tasted single blind.
  Black cherry, a little vanilla, and some dark spice tones on the nose. Slightly non-descript, but there is some interest with coaxing. Tastes of bountiful dark & pure fruits and some oak tinges. Nice medium feel with good tannins & some supporting acid (good grip to this one). Mixed red berries flow in through the transition & the finish has fresh baking spices (cinnamon, brown sugar faintly) and cherries integrated with good structure.
  
  This didn't show too great on day 2; not bad, but not as nice as on day 1 where it was pretty great. 84ish on day 2, 88 day 1. To paraphrase the local store's comment, "This is a great value at the $15 SRP, but $7 it's a stupidly good deal."

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• 2005 Dominique Laurent Marsannay Clos du Roy Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay

  Tasted blind, but knew a Burg was involved--correctly called it out!
  Nose presents first red fruits, some dark fruits, and many scents that form together to remind me of an oven roast--meat, toasty herbs, etc. Some faint florals too. Fragrant & interesting. When tasting, this has an acidity that is slightly meaty and is prominent throughout; really gives it a good structure. Rich dark & red fruits wrap around that acidic core and at the finish are met by mild tannins, a touch of brown spice, and some baking herbs. Medium length finish. 89-90

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Great night...blind tasting is always interesting, and this night I did pretty well at identifying what was behind the bag. I actually preferred the Merry Edwards to the Marsannay, but really they were both of similar outstanding quality. Educational for sure, and plenty of delicious throughout the evening. Tough to beat for a Thursday night