OC Tasting Group Does Blind Wines @ Playground
Playground in Downtown Santa Ana
Tasted Thursday, November 14, 2013 by Frank Murray III with 533 views
Playground in Downtown Santa Ana
Tasted Thursday, November 14, 2013 by Frank Murray III with 533 views
NV Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Kiwi, pear and some strawberry notes, along with a bread dough quality. All in, nice flavors and balanced.
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2008 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Man, this was really good, showing improvement over the last year. I kind of kick myself for flipping my last bottle a few months ago but I needed then to make space. Shows all kinds of cool complex and balanced notes. Mint, peach skin, yellow apple, lime and a spicy finish. Then, some slate fills in at the end. I was guessing Huet, Louis Michel but in the end, Carillon and this was just delicious and fabulous.
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2010 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Mount Carmel
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
This was the first time I had retasted the wine since I had it at purchase a few months ago. This bottle maintains the smoky note I found then, along with green apple, tangerine zest and nectarine. Has a spicy finish, fennel-like.
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2005 School House Pinot Noir
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Aw man, lights out good. Balanced, lithe with great polish of red fruits and gentle quality. Fabulous.
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2010 Domaine des Costes Rouges Marcillac
France, Southwest France, Marcillac
I may have the wrong vintage here. Aromatics seemed a bit green to me, hint of herbal and ember. Spice box, tobacco leaf and seemed soft in the palate.
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2002 La Pousse d'Or Corton-Clos du Roi
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
I enjoyed this. Wintergreen/spearmint on nose that faded off with aeration (oak?). Spicy, tart cherry, lively acid and some tannin still in finish. Also found this to have nice balance.
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2007 The Treat Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California, Napa Valley
I didn't care for this wine. The aromatic came off as boozy to me, the fruit was candied and over-ripe and it just tasted confected.
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2007 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Abbey-Harris Vineyard
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Good showing. Zesty, strawberry, cherry and candied red apple and herb. There is good ripeness in the core of the wine but then lots of residual tannin on the finish, a bit rocky. I suspect this wine will age well for several more years and remain quite good.
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2002 Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley
This showed a little ripe, somewhat candied but in tasting it over dinner again after some air, it grew on me. Strawberry, red fruits, herb, still showing good energy and not seeming hot nor boozy.
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2007 Copain Syrah James Berry Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
This needed air and I suspect it would show other dimensions today if it had that time. We enjoyed it without much air, over dinner. Fooled me this time, as the quality it showed in this tasting was lots of bloody notes, both in the aromatic and palate. Light olive, too. The fruit was a sweet blue quality, actually a but tangy with some cocoa on the finish and some rocky tannin. This came off as tight, not like past bottles but the basic difference is the aeration. if you open one, provide air.
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2001 Dehlinger Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
This one stumped me, as I guessed Zinfandel. It had a red fruit/strawberry jam quality but in the end, was well balanced. What should have been a better tip off as to it being Cab was the finish, which showed a leaner, currant quality.
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2003 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Bosconia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
This seemed pretty astringent to me, with lots of tart cherry fruit and acid dominating the wine. At 10 years of age, what should we expect from this bottling? I don't have much experience with these wines so take my comment here with a grain of salt.
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2008 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This reminded some of the way the 2003 Lopez de Heredia came off, with the tight profile and lean astringence. Like that wine, this one showed a more restrained profile and balance. Not sure what to make of these Italian wines, as I just don't have the stripes to be able to call them out yet.
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NV Churchill/Graham Porto White Port
Portugal, Douro, Porto
An interesting wine and one that I wasn't familiar with. Brought by Andy V, our local port expert and he says this is a special order type of wine, but attainable. Sweet apricot, and what I can best call that lean, clean finish one gets from a scotch as it slides down the palate, that kind of feel. The table seemed to really enjoy it. I did as well, although I am just not much of a sweet wine drinker.
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