Snohomish, WA
Tasted Saturday, February 26, 2011 by last chance with 1,330 views
12 of us got together on an early Saturday evening for a big tasting of California Cult Cabernets. The focus for this tasting was on CA Cabs that were no older than 10 years old, and mainly on the lower production side. There was the possibility of a few ringers sliding in here, but we were not going to be told if or when they would be in the lineup.
We got started with a fantastic white wine from Linne Calodo. I am really getting into Viognier/Roussanne blends!
Our first flight of the reds. The 01 Abreu ended up being one of my co-WOTN. I ended up ranking this flight: Abreu, Hourglass then Pride. Bob Foley called us after the flight had been revealed and discussed both the Pride Reserve and the Hourglass. That was great to get to talk to him while drinking 2 of his wines, as well as hear him use some of the exact same descriptors that I had during the tasting.
We needed to keep on schedule since we had arranged for some winemakers to call us, so to make sure that we would be drinking the right wines when the calls came, we gave up the starter white flight, and just drank them one at a time between the flights of the reds. While that did make it hard to compare them, they did become more of a palate cleanser, and it was a nice way to keep the tasting moving along.
Our 2nd flight of the reds. This time it was the Colgin that really caught my attention, and also ended up being my other co-WOTN. I ended up ranking this flight: Colgin, Sloan then Shafer HSS.
The final white wine of our tasting. We actually waited to reveal the 2nd white wine until we were ready to reveal this one. That kept it more interesting for those who knew what the white wines were.
Our 3rd flight of the reds. This flight was very different than the prior two. This was where the Bell pepper notes finally started showing up. I ended up ranking this flight: Sheridan, Seven Stones then Hundred Acre. Though when I revisited the Hundred Acre, I realized that I probably under-rated it during the initial tasting.
Our 4th flight of the reds. This flight also marked another turning point in the tasting. The wines were really starting to get bigger, with both more alcohol and more tannins. I ended up ranking this flight: Schrader, Futo then Insignia.
Our 5th flight of the reds. Our final flight, and the wines were all very different in this flight. I ended up ranking this flight: Kapcsandy, Cayuse then TOR. Again, when I was revisitng the wines after the group vote, I realized that I wasn't enjoying the Cayuse as much as I was earlier, and that I probably under rated the TOR. Jeff Ames called us at the end of this flight, and we talked about not only TOR but Rudius as well. We kept Jeff on the phone for a very long time with questions about To Kalon, George III, Alder Springs and Panek vineyards. That was a lot of fun and a great way to wrap up our last flight of the reds.
A nice bottle of Sauternes to end the tasting.
This was a lot of fun, and another very educational tasting!
2009 Linne Calodo The Contrarian 93 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Tasted blind. The nose had aromas of sweet citrus fruit as well as some minerals and floral notes. The palate had flavors of peaches, limes and tropical fruits. The mouthfeel of this wine was fantastic. Very unctuous, and that oily, slipperiness that always makes me think of Rousanne. But the tropical fruit notes made me think of Viognier. Several of us were thinking this was a blend, and I said Viorous at one point while we were still blind. Not Kongsgaard - but Viognier and Roussane were 80% of the blend. This was my favorite of the whites we tasted.
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