Blind Champagne and sparkling wines at Matt and Ori's
The new Pink Dolphin
Tasted Saturday, March 24, 2012 by gripNsip with 735 views
Introduction
After much discussion (and dick jokes) we arranged a tasting of blind sparkling wines at Matt and Ori's house. Dinner was prepared and served, and the wines started to flow shortly after. The wines were served with brut wines first, then rose's. All bottles were blinded in brown bags and we were allowed to pour for ourselves. (making some decisions easier due to bottle shape)
Flight 1 - Brut sparkling wines (9 Notes)
Flight 2 - Rose sparkling wines (3 Notes)
Closing
Once everyone had completed the tasting we had all participants write down their three favorite bottles with 3 points given for a 1st place, 2 points given for a 2nd place, and 1 point given for a 3rd place.
The winning bottle with 13 points was the 2002 Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée Spéciale.
There was a tie for second place with 12 points being given to both the N.V. Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut[ (LOL!) and the N.V. L. Aubry Fils Champagne Brut 1er Cru.
Down a huge margin with 4 points there was also a tie for third place between the 1999 Alfred Gratien Champagne Brut Millésimé and the 2008 Argyle Brut Rosé.
With 2 points each were the N.V. Philippe Prié Champagne Brut Tradition, N.V. Clotilde Davenne Crémant de Bourgogne Extra Brut, N.V. Capitello Wines Brut Willamette Valley, N.V. Kirkland Signature Champagne Brut. Any wines not listed scored no points.
These tastings are always a fun exercise and it's fun to see how different people's palates are when it comes to sparkling wines. Thanks to Matt, Ori and Justin for cooking an amazing dinner and to Matt and Ori for hosting the event!
NV Philippe Prié Champagne Tradition Brut 89 Points
France, Champagne
Nice nose here, fresh fruit flavors with hints of lychee, some tasty yeasty and mineral notes. The flavor on the palate is apple-fruit first with again some nice yeast coming in on the finish. Fairly straight-forward on the palate. The acidity has a bit of roughness around the edges, but the overall feel is elegant and gentle. Tasted blind, guessed Champagne.
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1999 Alfred Gratien Champagne Brut Millésimé 93 Points
France, Champagne
Smells juicy and delicious. The palate is big and very much to my liking. Sweet cake, fresh apples, frosting, crushed sweet tart candy. Long finish. This is one of those big, rich Champagnes that can be somewhat polorizing for people. I prefer this style and really, really enjoyed this. Tasted blind, guessed Champagne.
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NV Gloria Ferrer Brut Sonoma County 81 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
Really light nose on this, some tart green apple and lemons on the nose. The flavors on the palate are very simple, showing only apple fruit for me, with a load of acidity that takes over the finish. Some roughness on the finish when the acidity meets the texture of the bubbles. Not something I would pour down the sink, but not that great either. Tasted blind, guessed Oregon sparkling.
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NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvée Sainte Anne Flawed
France, Champagne
A real bummer about this being corked, because it wasn't all that bad on the palate. It was completely obvious on the nose however that this was corked.
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NV Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 84 Points
France, Champagne
Round palate here, very integrated initially but completely falls apart on the finish. Some richness does come through, but the acidity is rough on the finish and the flavors are awkward. The thing about this wine is that I had a bottle two weeks ago that was the best bottle of Champagne we had at the tasting. For this blind tasting that impression was still in my mind so I went to a retailer and got this bottle. This didn't show any of the depth or elegance of the bottle I had previously. A real bummer. Tasted blind but could tell this was my bottle due to the shape of the bottle in the bag.
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2002 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Smells awesome, aromas of limes, cake frosting, bread, and mineral show in the glass. Shows just as delicious on the palate, fresh apples and limes, lots of citrus with richness showing the entire time but just in the background. Great acidity and feel, long finish. This is some great stuff. Tasted blind, guessed Champagne. Ranked 1st place in the tasting.
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NV L. Aubry Fils Champagne Premier Cru Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Smells wonderful, sweet apple and pear fruit with some rich cake batter showing in the background. The palate shows delicious flavors similar to the nose but with some crushed sweet tart candy showing up in the finish. Long, fresh expression of fruit, showing less richness. Overall very delicious. Tasted blind, guessed Oregon. (doh!)
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NV Clotilde Davenne Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Extra 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Crémant de Bourgogne
Tart apple flavors show strongly on the palate with good acidity and length. Very simple but very well built at the same time, very easy to drink as it was somewhat refreshing. Served blind, guessed California sparkling. (doh!)
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NV Capitello Wines Brut Willamette Valley 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Smells great, fresh apple meets white grapes with a hint of yeast and richness. Considering the nose, the palate went a whole different direction. Apple sauce, cinnamon, oak, burnt wood and vanilla. Weird integration of the flavors, there is some very interesting and complex flavors here but overall there is just something awkward about this wine. Still a fun drink, and interesting in the fact that it is something completely different. Served blind, guessed Oregon sparkling.
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