Bottle Shock Wine Party (blindtasting tasteoff of mature Bordeaux and Cali Cabs)
Sandy & Michael's, Los Altos, California
Tasted Saturday, April 17, 2010 by rjonwine@gmail.com with 1,462 views
Introduction
This was the second year that this group, hosted by Sandy and Michael, have done a fun taste off party of mature (or maturing) Bordeaux against California Cabs, a la the Judgment of Paris, depicted Hollywood style in the film "Bottle Shock." I've been to a lot of blindtastings, but this is the first one that has included costumes (as Bottle Shock characters, or French people, of any era) and a skit. This gang certainly knows how to have fun with their tasting. Many thanks to Sandy and Michael, and to all of their friends that made this unusual and creative evening happen.
The blindtasting portion was in two parts, eight wines in each flight, with five of us as acting as "judges," while the rest sampled from the same bottles, ate and socialized. Bud, who did the flighting, put more of the older wines, and more of the Bordeaux, in the first flight, and more Californian and younger wines (which needed more decanting) in the second flight. Unfortunately, by the time of the second flight, our outside tasting area (on Sandy and Michael's large porch, outfitted with "Bottle Shock" paraphernalia), was getting a little chilly, so it got pretty hard to get much of a nose out of many of the wines. Nonetheless, there were some strong showings in both flights. My favorite in the first flight were the '95 Pichon Lalande and the '95 Leoville Barton (my #1 and #3), which doesn't surprise me, as '95 is one of my favorite Bordeaux years for drinking now. Ranking second for me was the '91 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill, which is always a terrific wine.
In the second flight (after our skit featuring George Washington talking wine with Napoleon), the standouts for me were the '04 Arrowood Reserve Speciale and the '01 Schrader Beckstoffer. Also very good were the '96 Dalla Valle and the '97 Ridge Monte Bello.
Flight 1 - Pre-tasting wines (5 Notes)
Prior to the blindtasting, we sampled several wines while eating appetizer. My favorite of that pre-tasting was the '07 Quivet Cabernet Kenefick Ranch and the '04 Audelssa Reserve. The maker of the Quivet was on hand, and one of our judges: Mike Smith. 
Flight 3 - Dinner interlude wines (4 Notes)
scene from our skit
Flight 5 - Final Wines (3 Notes)
As we continued eating the delicious pulled pork sandwiches, sliders, salads and other treats, and before Sandy gave out prizes for best costume and highest scoring wine, we sampled a few more things.
2007 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Opaque purple red violet color; rich berry, mulberry, plum, oak nose; tight but plush, mulberry, berry palate; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (needs 2-3 years)
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1998 Merryvale Chardonnay Silhouette 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Light medium golden color; hazelnut, butter, pineapple, marshmallow nose; hazelnut, butter, pineapple, baked apple palate; medium finish
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2007 Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Kenefick Ranch 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Medium dark red violet color; rich berry, mulberry, licorice, baking spice nose; rich berry, blackberry, licorice, black fruit palate; medium-plus finish
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2004 Audelssa Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Mountain Terraces 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Opaque red violet color; cassis, red currant, red berry nose with depth; rich cassis, red berry palate with focus and depth; medium-plus finish 93+ pts.
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1999 Frank Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Winston Hill 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
From magnum - dark red violet color; berry, cassis, vanilla nose; velvety textured, berry, cassis, blackberry palate with well integrated oak; medium-plus finish 92+ pts
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