Cali and Burgs Blind

FMIII in the OC
Tasted Monday, June 18, 2012 by brigcampbell with 854 views

Introduction

The day started out with golf. Because we had 5 people playing, Frank and I partnered up with another twosome. They were a couple of nice guys and Denny was quite the character visiting from Pittsburgh. At about the 5th hole he started asking me to read his putts and proceeded to drain 6 or 7 putts from outside of 15 feet. I need to quit playing golf and carry a bag...

The Burg and Cali tasting was a real treat for me, I love pinot and haven't had much exposure to nice burgs. Well, this was a good chance to change all of that with an invitation from Frank to join the crew. They are really a great bunch of people, interesting to talk with because it just isn't about wine all the time.

The star of the night, besides the cheese platter which Steve prepared like something from the nicest restaurant, was the Rhys Swan Terrace Pinot. My oh my, that is some fine wine. Really special stuff.

Come to find out, it's not very easy to differentiate between a burg and cali pinot blind. Sure, you could compare an old rusty burg to Loring and everyone would pick it correctly. But it's amazing how much "earth" and terrior the california winemakers are getting. And on the flip side, there are burgs which are fruit forward and would be considered over the top by the purest in world. Overall I think I correctly guess 11 of the 16 wines but there were a few that I'm certain everyone messed up on. Really great experience for me and I hope to be able learn more from everyone.

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

Flight 2 (4 Notes)

  • 2007 Copain Pinot Noir Wentzel Vineyard

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Blind - guessed cali. Definitely on the ripe side of the fence but I enjoyed it. It can't be an apologist because I like it.

    Rank: #1 of 4 in Second Flight

    I had this as tied for my #3 spot for the evening with the Arcadian.

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  • 2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Blind - guessed Cali but though about burg serious. I didn't really enjoy this wine.

    Rank: #4 of 4 in Second Flight

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  • 2009 Maison Ilan Charmes-Chambertin Aux Charmes Hautes

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

    Blind - guessed burg correctly. Boy was this wine a topic of conversation for the burgheads after the unveiling, whew. Some thought is was slightly flawed, some though it was disjointed, some like me thought "just OK". Very interested debate by those in the know.

    Rank: #3 of 4 in Second Flight

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  • 2010 Poe Wines Pinot Noir Angel Camp Vineyard

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Blind guess burg, wrong! This is a nice wine and demanded lots of chatter afterwards. I wanted to re-taste it afterwards but the bottle was gone. Will have to looks these guys up, had not had the wines before.

    Rank: #2 or 4 in Second Flight

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Flight 3 (4 Notes)

  • 2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Swan Terrace

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Blind - guessed burg, bzzz! Wow, is this an incredible wine. It's not tricked up or overdone, just beautifully balanced, pure fruit, great complexity, and a terrific finish. Lord help us if this improves with age because I'm not sure why it's not the best pinot I've tasted.

    Rank: #1 of 4 in Third Flight

    My #1 of the evening, by a mile.

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  • 2008 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

    Blind - guessed cali, wrongly. This was BRUTAL to guess, I only had 1 correct and the one I did guess correctly I waffled on. That is fun stuff!

    Rank: #2 of 4 in Third Flight

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  • 2009 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County

    Blind - guess burg because of the funky aromas. I didn't like this wine.

    Rank: #4 or 4 in Third Flight

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  • 2007 Lucie & Auguste Lignier Clos de la Roche

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Blind - guessed burg. Wrapped up and not giving much away at this point in time.

    Rank: #3 of 4 in Third Flight

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Flight 4 (4 Notes)

  • 2003 Domaine de la Vougeraie Bonnes Mares

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

    Blind - guessed Cali but I too wrestled with this one.

    Rank: #3 of 4 in Fourth flight

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  • 2001 Arcadian Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Blind - guessed Cali. I've had this wine before thanks to Brian, and I really enjoyed this wine again. Held up paired with the spiciest chicken empanada you'll ever eat.

    Rank: #1 of 4 in Fourth Flight

    my #3 of the evening.

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  • 2008 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d'Orveaux Vieilles Vignes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

    Blind - guess cali, incorrectly. The reason I did california was because of the enormous presence of white pepper. Yes, it was paired with some crazy spicy hot food (which I loved) but the white pepper dominated the palate of this wine and I have seen that in a cali wine before. Didn't work here.

    Rank: #4 of 4 in Fourth flight

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  • 2005 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir Vigneron Select

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    Blind - guessed cali. This was the last wine of a LONG evening that began in the early afternoon. LOL but I really like this wine and wish it had it's proper dues.

    Rank: #2 of 4 in Fourth flight (close to #1)

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