2024 New Year's Day Double Blind Tasting

Tasted Monday, January 1, 2024 by Francophile1 with 126 views

Introduction

A great way to ring in the New Year with good friends & wine.

Flight 1 - Starter Wines (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - The official double-blind line-up (11 Notes)

WOTN:
1) '01 Giacosa Barolo
2) '95 Haut Brion
3) '01 Ridge Monte Bello

'86 Pichon Lalande got a strong honorable mention

  • 2015 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Mazoyères-Chambertin

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru

    Double-blind. Lovely nose on this wine with high toned bright ref fruit, touch of spice and cinnamon on the finish. Good acidity, youthful, semi-sweet finish.

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  • 1995 Château Haut-Brion

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Double-blind. Wonderful nose of tobacco, cedar, tar with dusty tannin. This really opened up by the end of the night. This is a very clean wine from a solid left bank vintage. Great wine that is just entering its maturity window but can age for many many more. A noble wine. I called it as my wine and I was correct.

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  • 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Double-blind. Wow! The nose is rocking! This is what Nebbiolo should always taste like. Fully mature, resolved tannin, high acidity, some mahogany wood with high toned red fruit. This is in its sweet spot right now. My WOTN edging out my '95 Haut Brion.

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  • 2009 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

    Double-blind. Touch of funk on the nose, black cherry, prickly tannin. Slight reduction making it a touch sappy and fatter than the first Burgundy we had. This can age for many more years.

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  • 2000 Château L'Evangile

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

    Double-blind. Great nose on this wine. Ripe black fruit and black cherry. Cedar, spice, and a touch of sweetness on the finish. I thought it could be a Pavie or maybe a Dominus or Dunn as the finish suggested it could be new world from an old world producer. This is a plush wine.

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  • 2013 Paolo Scavino Barolo Riserva Rocche dell'Annunziata

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Double-blind. Brooding black cheery fruit. Oak is prominent. A sappy Nebbiolo that is very tannic at this point. Menthol on the finish.

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  • 2001 Ridge Monte Bello

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Double-blind. This is a superb wine and one that threw everybody off. Exotic nose that exploded in the glass. Deep, rich, perfumed fruit with a sweet finish with a touch of spice. Is it old world? New world? Nobody could nail it. I called it '04 Solaia and was obviously wrong. This is the best Monte Bello I've ever tasted. Wow!

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  • 2010 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Double-blind. Another confusing wine. Too young to show its signature where it is from. Could it be Left Bank, Right Bank? or Super Tuscan? This is not ready to drink.

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  • 2006 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Double-blind. Burgundian in color with slight bricking at the edges. This has some age on it. A sinus clearing powerful nose. At this point in the line up, my palate was getting tired. Was it Grand Cru Burg or Barolo? I had a hard time calling it blind.

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  • 1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Double-blind. Knock-out left bank nose. This wine wins on nose alone. I could smell it all night long. I called it '96 Pichon Lalande so I was only off by a full decade. A great wine! So fresh at 37 years old.

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  • 2010 Dominus Estate

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Double-blind. I did not like this wine. It is waaaaayyyy too young and disjointed. High alcohol, viscous, hot, unidimensional. This is clearly in its awkward dumb phase. I would not open a bottle of this for at least another 10 years. Disappointing. .

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Flight 3 - Back-up bottles (4 Notes)

Closing

Double-blind wine tasting is always a great educational and humbling experience.

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