Right Bank / Left Bank Tasting

Each flight was blind and most wines were double decanted. Wine covers were mixed up so no one knew which wine was theirs. We tasted four wines, voted on the wine of the flight and then unvealed the wines. There were 2 ringers - a Bordeaux blend from the Bolgheri region of Italy (this one did not stand out) and the 2006 Andrew Will Sorella (this one was obviously new world). The group is primarily from the industry (10 people attended the tasting) - the tasting notes are mine and unfortunately were mostly from memory.

Grilled Skirt steak / potatoes and an assortment of cheeses were served at the tasting. My WOTN was a tie between the 2005 Larrive Haut Brion 2005 and the 2005 Ferrand Lartigue - the group did not select an overall WOTN.

• 1999 Château Haut-Brion Château Bahans Haut-Brion

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (7/19/2010)

  Wine 1 - flight 1 of 3
  
  Medium red starting to show some bricking around edges. Earth / mushrooms / cassis on the nose (nice aromatics). Full mouthfeel, nice drying tannins on finish.
  
  My rating 89-91. I really enjoyed this.

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• 2004 Roc de Cambes

  France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg

  (7/19/2010)

  Flight 1 - wine 2
  Dark red / black color - looks young.
  Classic Bordeaux nose - cedar / pencil lead / cassis.
  Full bodied, prominent tannins on finish - excellent with grilled steak. Wet stone / graphite / blackberry. Nice complexity.
  My #1 wine of this flight (out of 4). #2 out of 4 for the group.
  rating - 91-92. Buy if available.

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• 2005 Château de Candale Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (7/19/2010)

  Flight 1 - wine 3
  
  Poor notes. Looked young / lots of fruit on nose & palate. Plenty of tannins - enjoyable.
  tied for #2 for me; 0 votes for wine of flight from group - I wrote a rating of 89-91.

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• 2000 Château Lynch-Moussas

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  (7/19/2010)

  Flight 1 - Wine 4 - Wine of the Flight for the Group (by a large majority).
  Poor notes
  light red color
  Beautiful nose - pencil lead / cassis (Classic left bank Bordeaux).
  Medium mouthfeel, nice grippy tannins on the finish with a very long finish.
  did not put a rating but low 90s.

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• 2005 Château du Seuil

  France, Bordeaux, Graves

  (7/19/2010)

  flight 2 - Wine 1
  
  Given & nose & color, wondered if this one was new world.
  Vanilla / licorice / black currants on nose.
  soft on the palate - chocolate, blackberry & bright acidity. Soft tannins on medium finish.
  did not give number rating.

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• 2006 Andrew Will Sorella

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

  (7/19/2010)

  flight 2 - wine 2
  Decanted for 4 hours.
  
  Dark red / purple color - looks young.
  Blue fruits / vanilla / blackberry on the palate - full bodied wine with nice mouthfeel and long finish - for me, this was #3 out of the 4 wines in this flight.
  Enjoyed this but would not buy again at the price point - 90-92 rating.

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• 2005 Château La Cabanne

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  (7/19/2010)

  flight 2 - wine 3
  
  Poor notes. Nose was pretty muted (wine was opened for ~ 1-2 hours before tasting). Oak / blackberry.
  
  Medium + finish. Well structured wine that needs time.

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• 2005 Château Ferrand Lartigue

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (7/19/2010)

  flight 2 - wine 4
  
  tied for WOTN for me and was wine of the flight for the group.
  
  Dark red color / beautiful nose (notes started getting bad towards the end of the night).
  Nice combination of power and finesse on the palate - well integrated and drinking great now - Was decanted for 4 hours prior to tasting. Would buy more if available.
  
  I'd give this a 92-93 rating.

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• 2000 Château Deyrem Valentin

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  (7/19/2010)

  flight 3 - wine 1 (wine of the flight for the group).
  
  Wine looked young - the group guessed it was Left Bank.
  On the palate, black & blue fruits / tart cherry / dill & vibrant acidity - some nice mineral overtones as well. Long finish.
  I did not rate - very nice wine though.

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• 2005 Château Grand-Pontet

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  (7/19/2010)

  Flight 3 - wine 2 (tied for #2 for the group on this flight)
  
  Dark red / black color - looked young.
  Nice aromatics on the nose.
  Balanced wine with black currants / cassis / earthy overtones. Long finish with nice grippy tannins.
  I rated 90-92.

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• 2005 Podere Sapaio Volpolo

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri

  (7/19/2010)

  Flight 3 - wine 3
  
  A ringer in the bordeaux tasting.
  Looks Young - dark purple color
  Barynyard on the nose / black fruits & earthy overtones.
  Plush mouthfeel - very rich with nice finish.
  (Poor notes)

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• 2005 Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (7/19/2010)

  Flight 3 - Wine 4
  
  Decanted for 5 hours (and this rocked the next night).
  Reddish / black in the glass.
  Pencil lead / black currants / cedar on the nose - classic Graves nose.
  On the palate, medium body with nice acid / fruit balance and long finish with well integrated drying tannins. Mushrooms / black fruits / tart cherry / earthy overtones also prominent on the finish. Tied for WOTN for me and was my personal wine of the night.
  Will buy again.

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