A Small Wine Tasting
Catonsville, MD
Tasted April 26, 2008 by smallhart with 482 views
Introduction
10 wines in all, we've invited 5 couples to bring both a bottle of wine and an appetizer. We set this up on evite so they could select their varietal from a list ahead of time. We will match their varietal selection with a bottle from our cellar, hence having two blind tastes of each. The wine menu will include Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Sangiovese, and an Alternative Red/Red Blend. We found some inexpensive wine bags on papermart.com that our guests can keep. We'll see how it all works out and I'll report back.
Flight 1 - Siduri Pinot Noir 2006 Clos Pepe and La Crema Sonoma Coast 2006 (2 notes)
Red
2006 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Very light in the glass. Light pepper, slight cherry. Needed more time to open up. Tasted against Siduri Clos Pepe and the Siduri just over performed.
Flight 2 - White Cottage Ezivese and Santa Cristina Sangiovese (2 notes)
Red
2005 White Cottage Ranch Vineyards Ezivese
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Nice, big, robust Sangiovese. Hands down superior to the Santa Cristina we tasted with it. Spicy, a little anise. Nice full mouth from start to finish. I'm glad I have 3 more!
Red
2005 Antinori Santa Cristina Toscana IGT
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
We tasted this against a White Cottage Ezivese. Just not a lot to it. dissappeard quickly, not much body. It came a little more alive with some aeration, but not a favorite, even for the bargain it is.
Flight 3 - David Coffaro Block 4 and Little James' Basket Press (2 notes)
Red
2005 David Coffaro Block 4
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
We love this wine! And so did everyone else, I"m sad I only have two of this vintage left, but the 2006 is actually supposed to be better. Great full mouth. Berry, licorice and chocolate.
Flight 4 - Darioush Shiraz and R Wines Boarding Pass Shiraz (2 notes)
Darioush took top prize with Coffaro a close second.
Red
2004 Darioush Shiraz
USA, California, Napa Valley
Outstanding. Chocolate with a little licorice. Very full mouth, stayed from start to finish. Nice spice. The pick of the party.
Red
2005 R Wines Shiraz Boarding Pass
Australia, South Australia
Wanted to like this more than we did. Tasted with Darioush Shiraz which it paled in comparison to. A little hot, but a nice Aussie Shiraz. We enjoy Thorn-Clarke's better at the same price point.
Flight 5 - Chateau Malmaison and Chateau Grand Ormeau (2 notes)
Neither very popular. Both likely need to sit a few years.
Red
2005 Château Grand Ormeau
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol
Bordeaux is not normally my cup of tea and this was no exception. Very tannic and dissappeared quickly. Tried aerating, helped a little. The other Bordeaux faired better with the group.
Closing
Great party. Good time by all. Darioush and Coffaro were the hits. Can't wait to do it again.
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