Blind tasting at JK & KK's place

Tasted Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Seth Rosenberg with 607 views

Flight 1 (1 Note)

  • 1996 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses 90 Points

    France, Champagne

    Tasted double blind. Yeasty on the nose with ripe pear-apple. A creamy sweetness comes out later: caramel with air. Ripe again lots of pear on the palate, nice smooth_sharp bubbles. Minerals and a hint of sweet vanilla creme. Acid and lemon in the finish. I guessed Champagne, from 1995-2000, and finally guessed 1995 mid-level cuvee. When this was revealed, I had to say that I thought the wine was a little developed for a 96 of this cuvee, and I was not all that impressed. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15/20.

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Flight 2 (1 Note)

  • 1996 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes 87 Points

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

    Tasted double blind. Lots of heat on the nose with some animal notes, prune, violets, sweet bacon and blueberries. There's a lot of good stuff going on under there, but the heat covers most of it. Quite infuriating actually. More gentle on the palate, but still big and pruney with some stemmy and jammy fruit. Shows heat on the palate as well. My guess was a Hermitage from the early to mid-90's, and from a hot vintage, like 90. I liked this much better when I thought it was a Northern Rhone. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 4/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 0.5/2 = 13.5/20.

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

  • 1986 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello 96 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Tasted double blind. Huge nose with herbal and floral notes, sweet green pepper, a touch of menthol, and almost jammy plummy fruit. Palate dripping with sweet fruit and solid vegetal/herbal notes, and a little plummy spice. Really smooth and integrated tannins. The finish is good and sweet, long but not too long. If this isn't Cali cab from the late 70's early-mid 80's I will eat my shoe. At first I though Silver Oak, but it doesn't have enough of that vanilla oak, so I went with Arjune's guess of Monte Bello - he guess 86, I guessed earlier 80-84. I don't know what others on CT were drinking, but this shit was good - best Cali Cab I've had in a long time. Nose - 6/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 2/2 = 18/20.

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Flight 4 (1 Note)

  • 1983 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 84 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Tasted double blind. Very stinky - cheese, lots of barnyard and a touch of spice. Old and/or a little tired. Somewhat oxidized on the palate, some sweetness and a little bitterness as well. Tart and bitter on the finish. Matt and Arjune were guessing old Piedmonte. I disagreed and went with decent Rioja from the 70's or early 80's. I should have thought about the stinky nose and homed in on Beaucastel. Not impressive, a mediocre showing. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 3.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 0.5/2 = 12/20.

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Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • 2001 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Brunello di Montalcino 87 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    Tasted double blind. Big nose - and not at all my style: lots of sweet fruit, jammy fruit, new oak, some heat, and a sweet floral component. A burly young wine and quite heavy on the nose. Not huge on the palate - rich, somewhat jammy: berry fruit and plums. More new oak - seems like a high Parker scoring wine to me. Not interested. I guessed a young Aussie or new wave Cali cab. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 4.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 0.5/2 = 13.5/20.

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett #9 90 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Not tasted blind. Very sweet and floral on the nose with honey, crushed minerals, rocks and slate, a touch of lime/citrus, and some brown spice. Very perfumed. Enters on the palate with sweet honey, big acid, but a touch fuzzy - not quite in focus. Clears up some as we go into the finish - honey, minerals, apples and spice. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15/20.

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  • 2001 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese 92 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    Again, not tasted blind. Medium gold. Huge tropical and zingy nose. I get that chili pepper aspect that many talk about in MC Rieslaners or in Eisweins in general. Apricot and kumquat, a touch vegetal or herbal. Massive and rich on the palate with honey, kumquat, passion fruit, spice, and again, lots of chili peppers. Quite young and rich - somewhat monolithic, needs years to resolve and soften into the great MC TBA's I know from the early 90's. Nose: 5-5.5/6, Palate - 4.5+/6, Finish - 4.5+/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi: 1-1.5/2 = 15-16+/20.

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