Bordeaux Blends

13 of us gathered at Jason's house to try Bordeaux blends from anywhere in the world. There was a good mix of California, France, and South America.

• 2015 Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  Pop and pour. Rombauer seems to have dialed their chardonnay back in the last few years, which is a good thing to me. This vintage is again a good renditions of California chardonnay. Some oak, plenty of acid, golden fruit, butterscotch and lemon oil. The 2015 might be a touch young right now. A year or 2 will flesh it out.

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• 2010 Paradise View Tribute to the Hermit 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Pop and pour. There was a lot of black pepper and bell pepper in this wine. I enjoyed it, but the bell pepper was above the threshold of some other tasters. I felt this wine had good age and balance for a reasonably priced Sonoma Coast wine.

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• 2005 Château Valrose St. Estèphe Cuvée Alienor 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  A 1+ hour decant was likely too much for this wine. It seemed hot and a bit fragile. Nice easy drinking Bordeaux with blueberry.

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• 2005 Château Lascombes 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Decanted 2 hours. An interesting mix of blueberry and tomato on the nose. Mostly graphite, smoke and red fruit on the palate. Tannins are still a bit high. I enjoyed the complexity of this wine, and feel it'll be better in 5 years.

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• 2005 Château Clerc Milon 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Not decanted, and it should have been. This wine was quite tannic, with good complexity. Smoke and tobacco, brooding. Needs more time or a good decant.

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• 2006 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 92 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto

  Decanted 1 hour. There is a good blend of red and blue fruit. This wine tastes like its from South America, with the sweet fruit combined with vegetal tones. A fair amount of leather on the palate. Bitter chocolate tannins on the finish.

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• 2008 Bodega Catena Zapata Nicolás Catena Zapata 92 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza

  Decanted a couple hours, but in a liquor decanter that doesn't allow much breathing. Tart, sour cherry dominates. This wine has great elegance, although it is quite lean and acidic. I'm wondering if it will integrate further and take on weight, or become more acidic with time. I hope its the former.

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• 2010 Cosentino Winery M. Coz Meritage Red 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Decanted at least 2 hours. This wine is silky, with big fruit while managing to stay balanced in a hedonistic way. Slurpy tasty, not complex or ponderous. This wine does not reach the insane levels of ripeness and flavors that some other Napa cabs do, and that is a good thing.

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• 2014 Beringer Vineyards Quantum Red Wine

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This wine needs a long decant or several years to assess. Right now, it is unresolved, with big fruit and big alcohol.

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• 2014 Ravenswood Pickberry

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

  Pop and pour, this also needs a good decant or a few years in bottle. Although it was too young with big tannins, I could sense that this is a more traditional California wine and will become well-balanced eventually. It is not cut from the modern TRB Callifornia cloth.

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• 2005 Château de Fargues 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Pop and pour. Drank a small glass over an hour. Very good complexity for only a 12 year old. I get the elegance that I associate with Fargues, while this 2005 still has high sweetness. Great spicy botrytis, burnt sugar, apricot and balance. I'm grateful to see I have 4 bottles of this, and look forward to trying them years down the road.

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