Chardonnay Blind Tasting

Trying some expensive Chards vs cheap ones...we'll see who wins out when it's a blind tasting.

Just a little something to get the palate going. Everyone brought great dishes, including oysters on the half shell, calamari, smoked salmon, & various cheeses and breads.

• 1999 S. Anderson Blanc de Blancs 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  (12/16/2011)

  Nice mousse. Toast and yeast on the nose. A super white fruit profile, with apple,and pear giving way to must and gravel. Very fresh for a 12 year old Calif wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

The interesting thing here, once everyone had individually tasted all 4 wines on their own, was to see who could tell the one wine that had no oak treatment. Most everyone succeeded in that. Second, could they tell which two wines of the four were most alike (I had chosen two wines with fruit from the same vineyard, same vintage, just different winery's interpretation/style of that fruit). 75% were successful in choosing the correct two wines. We also rated what we would feel comfortable paying for each bottle of each wine, just based on our own blind tasting. Finally, each person ranked the wines first through fourth place, based on their personal preference. First place was one point, second place was two points, and so on. The scores were tallied. The Ramey won top honors by popular vote, closely followed by the Kistler. The Chablis took third, and the Argentinian Chard took the lanterne rouge.

• 2008 Alamos Chardonnay 84 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza

  (12/16/2011)

  Wet, stoney nose with ripe pineapple and green apple. On the palate, repeats the fruits from the nose, has a candied nuance, the fruit is a bit straightforward, not very balanced, seems like there is a little RS. Very mediocre wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2006 Kistler Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  (12/16/2011)

  My WOTN. Immediately apparent on the nose is a caramel quality, with apparent vanilla. There is an incredible florality, with a turpentine quality. Several folks noticed asparagus. On the palate, orange rind, bright citrus fruit, with a honeyed quality, complicated by minerality and a finish that seems to never end. This wine is beautiful, layered, complex and lip-smackingly delicious. Wow.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2008 Domaine Billaud-Simon Petit Chablis 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Petit Chablis

  (12/16/2011)

  This wine is in great balance, and delivers it's flavor profile in laser like precision. There is a floral and apple / pear component to the nose. This changes to a citrusy, green apple flavor on the palate, which is quite tart initially, with a sharp and acidic finish. There is no oak here, so the fruit is pure and clean. Finish is medium plus, wine is a wonderful Chablis and a great QPR. Kudos.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2006 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard 97 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  (12/16/2011)

  Voted as WOTN by the group. My #2 wine tonite. This is truly fabulous. I got a sweet, caramel nuance on the nose, with a florality, and beautifully balanced vanilla flavors from the oak. There was pineapple, melon, coconut, and honey on the gorgeously balanced flavor profile. The ample acidity keeps these sweeter flavors in perfect balance. Truly awe-inspiring. The finish seems a bit sweeter than the Kistler, with a richness that I rarely find in Calif Chardonnays. People were regularly closing their eyes and just shaking their heads after each taste. This wine is amazing.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

I had a LBV port for everyone to try. Skip brought an awesome 5 year old Madeira. I had honestly never had a Madeira before! What an eye opener.

• 2005 Graham Porto Late Bottled Vintage 91 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  (12/16/2011)

  Nose of sweet brandy, caramel, blackcurrant, and tobacco. Tastes of tart cherries, drizzled in sweet fresh honey, orange rind, and a fabulous warmth on a cold Ohio day. The finish is medium in length. A little light in the mid palate, with slightly green tannins, but this doesn't detract from the marvelous QPR this wine delivers. Great after dinner drink. Perfectly content all on it's own.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• NV Broadbent Madeira Five Year Reserve 89 Points

  Portugal, Madeira

  (12/16/2011)

  A gorgeous transparent orange brown color. Nose of cedar, figs, prunes/raisins, and hazelnuts. Alot going on in the nose. This wine is very dry on the palate, with flavors echoing from the nose, including those figs and prunes, along with tobacco/leather. The finish is medium in length and also very dry, with tight tannins that leave your mouth yearning for another sip. This wine warms you right up. A super QPR, my first ever Madeira. I'll be keeping a bottle of this open in the cellar through the winter months.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

A good time was had by all. What's better than good food, great wine, and dear friends? We all agreed that we needed to do this way more often in 2012. It was great putting some heavy-hitter Chardonnays out there, and watching them rise to the top in a blind tasting. My goal for this tasting was to see if I wanted to continue to purchase some of the higher dollar Chardonnays (Kistler), or if the more moderately priced version (Ramey) was just as good. I had an easy time picking out the Chablis and the Argentinian Chardonnay, but I wrestled with choosing between my favorite of the two high-end Chards. In the end, I gave a higher score to the Ramey, but I chose the Kistler as my favorite of the night. Odd? Yes...maybe because it took more concentration to unravel the complex flavor profile that Kistler somehow weaves into their wine...but for those up to that task, the wine delivers in spades. The Ramey, however, was immediately delicious, and effortlessly stayed that way throughout the two hour tasting.
I guess I'll stay on that damned Kistler list after all...