100%-Merlot themed dinner

The American Club
Tasted Friday, April 17, 2015 by etyc with 538 views

Introduction

10 of us gathered over dinner for this fun "100%-Merlot" event. Most, if not all of us collects Bordeaux, and it was certainly quite interesting to see *NO* Bordeaux at all for such a theme...

As usual, the service at The American Club was impeccable; The wines were all great across the board, and the company, even more so!

This was certainly an educational and fun evening...

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Flight 1 - The Sparkling (1 Note)

Flight 2 - The lone white... And a very good one! (1 Note)

  • 2006 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    The 2nd of our 2 whites for the evening. Blinded too. Guesses were all over, & most had this as a CdB 1er-Cru. I had slight oak (nicely done), nuts, honey & some salinity (sea-breeze?) on the nose. On hindsight, this should've been a giveaway for a top Chablis, but I was fixated on Meursault which also tend to have this saline characteristic. This had good intensity & purity on the palate, but somehow lacked complexity unlike the Batards I've had recently which were scintillating. Still, a very good white!

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

  • 1989 Castello di Ama L'Apparita Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    1st of 11 Merlots in our "100%-Merlot" double-blind ('cept for our own wine) themed dinner. This screamed "I'm all ready to be enjoyed & drunk" right out of the blocks. Spotted a nice, mature Bordeaux-nose of smoke/ash, damp leaves & ink. Very harmonious on the palate too, with damp earth, mushrooms & a medium length (most guessed Bordeaux btw). I didn't get much "weight" on the palate which suggested that it probably wouldn't improve any furthur. In the perfect drinking-window now; Very nice & enjoyable!

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  • 1998 Castello di Ama L'Apparita Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Our 2nd-wine in a lineup of 11 Merlots. This had a bit of varnish on the nose, amidst scents of ink, spice and dark-berries. Very tannic & structured on the palate, with dominant flavours of blackcurrants/berries. I had this feeling that this might not have enough fruit to outlast the tannins. Perhaps we need to try another one again in another 5-10 years' time...

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  • 1998 Le Macchiole Messorio Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Next up was this wine with a bit of balsamic and blueberries on the nose. On the palate, whoa, this seemed a tad overly jammy, inky and chocolatey; Seemed to finish with a slight tinge of bitterness too. Thought this was a bit "New World"'ish...

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Flight 4 (2 Notes)

  • 2000 Castello di Ama L'Apparita Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Next-up was a pair that couldn't be more different. This had a floral nose, bits of roses, graphite. On the palate - dark-fruited, coffee. It was silky with a lot of restrained power. Felt that the balance was impeccable. Give this another few more years and I believe it'll be even better! Had this as my 2nd-WOTN...

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  • 2001 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Beside the '00 L'Apparita, this immediately showed itself to be a big & brawny wine. Some varnish/heat on the nose, amidst notes of blackcurrants & licorice. Wow, on the palate, this was thick, highly viscous & definitely mouth-coating, but balanced with good acidity; And with notes of black-fruits & some plums, this actually made it a rather nice drink with food. Was quite sure this must've been from an esteemed maker to have such control & balance. Will definitely improve with more age!

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Flight 5 (2 Notes)

  • 2003 Le Macchiole Messorio Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Our next pair of wine was rather "weird"... This one had a funky nose which was picked up by almost everyone. I also felt it had a little "cardboard component" to it too. Apart from the plummy and graphite notes on the palate, it also had this "medicinal" tinge, making the wine felt rather disjointed with the alcohol, cardboard, fruit and the medicinal tinge all poking in different directions. Thought the funk & cardboard might blow-off with time, but didn't. Should've been an off-bottle...

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  • 2003 Blankiet Estate Merlot Paradise Hills Vineyard

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Immediately after the '03 Messorio came this very interesting wine. It had this sweet Ribena nose with some noticeable alcohol. Soft, silky and easy on the palate, with raspberries, blueberries - LOTS of it! Perhaps it was because of this that I didn't notice much structure nor depth. Finished with a bit of chocolate. This was drinking very nicely! My first Blankiet, and as such, not sure if this will improve significantly with age when it's already drinking so good at this juncture...

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 2006 Fattoria Petrolo Galatrona

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    This wine in our next pairing was truly a "return of the classic" for me. I had this as my 3rd-WOTN. I thought it had a lot in common as our 1st-wine ('89 L'Apparita) except this had more stuffing, weight & intensity on the palate, and overall, more polished... that made me guessed that it was a younger L'Apparita. In fact, this came in as our Group's joint 2nd-WOTN. Exemplary, and truly value-for-money!

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  • 2006 Le Macchiole Messorio Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Beside the Galatrona, this felt bigger (more stuffing) but at the same time, somewhat clumsier. Some spice, plums and dark-berries on the nose. On the palate, lush with more notes of plums, blackberries and also a hint of heat/alcohol at the backend. This should get better given more time in bottle...

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Flight 7 (2 Notes)

  • 1994 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Talking about "saving the best for last"... Our sommelier did just that for this final blind pairing of the night. Cedar, plums, ink on the nose; This still tasted pretty young on the palate, but with everything well resolved, polished and balanced. Leather, coffee, earth... and a long finish. This was perfect with the Florentine steak! Our Group's joint 2nd-WOTN along with the Galatrona...

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  • 2005 Le Macchiole Messorio Toscana IGT

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Last wine in our line-up for the evening/night, & also the most favoured one (by concensus) in that most (incl. myself) had this as our #1-WOTN... Like the prior Masseto, very lovely aromatics - cedar, spice, tobacco. It showed very nicely on the palate too, with more notes of tobacco, coffee, dark-fruits. Silky and long. Between the Masseto and this, I felt this came across "classier" while the Masseto was slightly more "rigid". Nonetheless, both were great and should even be greater given time!

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