Blind Birthday Tasting
Win's House - Texas
Tasted Saturday, October 14, 2006 by win with 1,373 views
Introduction
Did not really want to have a huge party for my 40th, so I invited a very few close friends and/or people who just know wine. Great party! The initial theme was Bordeaux and pre 1997 California Cabernet Sauvignon—all to be tasted single blind. But the pre and post blind tasting was very interesting as well. This was not a very formal party, but it was in the format I love—lots of glasses and lots of different food. Two Sisters Catering out of Dallas (thanks Milli !) did a phenomenal job and are highly recommended! Now, on to the food and wine:
Flight 1 - Pre Blind Tasting with Appetizers (3 Notes)
Served a wide variety of appetizers: Pecan dusted red snapper with a smoky remoulade (super awesome); Apricot Rumaki (sun-dried apricot and jalapeno wrapped with applewood smoked bacon, served with a bleu cheese chive dipping sauce (great); Lemon parmesan artichoke bottoms, filled with a lemon Parmesan cream and topped with toasted pine nuts, red bell pepper and parsley (phenomenal); cheese plate, involving imported French and English cheeses alongside a variety of domestic cheeses—swiss, sharp cheddar, dill havarti and gouda, fresh fruit and berries; Brie topped with strawberries and amaretto (my wife’s favorite); country Pate with gherkins and whole grain Dijon; spiced cinnamon pecan dip (nice!); cracker medley and toasted baguettes.
Flight 2 - Single Blind Tasting (12 Notes)
My wife labeled the wines after college football teams. She went to Okahoma—and OU beat Texas tonight. Actually, everyone beat Texas tonight. My alma mater, the Cal Golden Bears should have done better (what’s new), and I’m not surprised that USC was no where to be found because that bottle may have fallen off the table. Thank you. And there were no Ducks, since we did not want any any controversy regarding the judging.
During the tasting, more food came out: Peppered beef tenderloin accompanied by a variety of sauces: whole grain Dijon, balsamic mustard, her mayonnaise, horseradish crème fraiche and fresh baked herb rolls; grilled asparagus and roasted shitake mushrooms with a roasted garlic lemon aioli; shrimp on ice (a bit small, but lots of it) with a nice cocktail sauce that had just a hint of horse radish (needed more); Orzo Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach and basil (one of my favorites from the night).
Flight 4 - More wine (2 Notes)
Flight 5 - Sweets (2 Notes)
I’m not really a huge dessert fan, so I wanted something informal, and this hit the spot—Two Sister’s provided their signature dessert bars, which were awesome!
Closing
Next, we were off to play golf in the dark—I’m glad my neighbor has a four person golf cart, and thankfully, no one got close to the lake….
2002 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl 92 Points
France, Alsace
This wine was very popular at the tasting—very complex tropical aromas that did not overwhelm the senses. Followed by toasted honey notes, but with a little bite of pink grapefruit skin shavings and spice, if that's possible. Very interesting wine. Great....more wine to keep a look out for.
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NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne
Solid, consistent champagne. Just like I remember it.
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2005 Tablas Creek Viognier 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Very pleasant wine that had just the right amount of sweetness and acidity.
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