DC/Northern Virginia Off-Line II - "Blind Reds: Favorites vs. Underdogs"

My home, Falls Church, VA
Tasted Saturday, June 1, 2013 by grayfont with 777 views

Introduction

On June 1, 2013, nine CellarTrackers gathered at my home for the second DC/Northern Virginia Off-Line. We enjoyed sandwiches from Balducci's, a selection of cheeses from Arrowine courtesy of hellowine and ericindc, and once again a selection of fresh breads from Firehook Bakery courtesy of ethos and espritouvert.

Guests were asked to bring a favorite red and an "underdog" (<$30) red to put in a blind tasting, in hopes that we would all learn a bit and maybe even find a few new favorites from the <$30 selections.

We had a great time, as evidenced by the smiles below:

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From L-R, ethos, espritouvert, atkinson_b2, AngryPrez, ericinDC, hellowine, ethos' friend Brian, and grayfont [Not pictured: Mrs. Grayfont, who took the photo]

Flight 1 - Openers (4 Notes)

Flight 2 - Blind Reds: Favorites vs. Underdogs (14 Notes)

  • 2005 Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    tasted blind. deep red color. big nose, sharp tannins, big powerful body. I guessed this as a syrah and was surprised to find it was the sangiovese influence I was tasting.

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  • 2004 Château Berliquet 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

    tasted blind. Earthy and bretty, there was an "old wine stink" to this wine that belies its full, youthful body. I think this has many more years ahead of it. My kind of wine. Really delicious.

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  • 2008 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

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

    tasted blind. Other than the obvious brett/earthiness, I found the nose on this inexpressive and thought it might be a bit shut down right now. very tannic for the body, and some interesting spicy/salami notes on the palate. I liked it, but wonder if it won't be a whole lot better with a livelier nose a few years from now.

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  • 2007 Papapietro Perry Pinot Noir Elsbree Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    tasted blind, this probably suffered from being right after two very bretty wines in the lineup. this is subtle, and easily could get lost in a crowded lineup like we had. Some interesting glue notes on the nose, and some faint cherry on the palate.

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  • 2001 Rudd Oakville Estate Proprietary Red 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    tasted blind, this screamed napa cab from the glass. luscious, sexy smooth. rich and pure. delicious. tied for 2nd out of 18 wines, received 2 first place votes and one second place vote from 9 tasters.

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  • 2009 Sueño Profundo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    tasted blind, this presented cherries on the nose and a soft mouthfeel reminiscent of a high-end pinot noir. Was surprised to find Cab at the reveal - this is a very smooth cab and a terrific bargain at an <$30 price.

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  • 2010 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 87 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    tasted blind, another wine that may have suffered from the order of the blind tasting. coming after a soft cab that featured cherry notes, the cherry notes in the Rivers Marie seemed higher pitched and the light body (and absence of tannins) would probably do better with food & no other wines to compete with.

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  • 2008 Domaine Coston Terrasses du Larzac 93 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Terrasses du Larzac

    tasted blind, I thought this was a CdP. Plenty of brett on the nose. Spicy and sexy in the mouth, with the earth & spice lingering in a long finish. This was my one of my favorites. Really my kind of wine.

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  • NV Rex Goliath Free Range 91 Points

    USA, California

    This was slipped into a long blind tasting lineup as a ringer and I ended up liking it a lot. nothing doing on the nose, but in the mouth it was soft and generous. I didn't get any of the over-the-top flavors that I would have expected had I known what this was. Just a nice soft smooth mouthfeel and gentle fruit flavors. I thought it was a Pinot Noir. I probably should be embarrassed by all that, but hey - I liked it.

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  • 2006 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Maestro Collection Beaulieu #2 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    tasted blind, this presented as a young, powerful, rich Napa Cab. Was surprised to find an '06, since it is still quite youthful. Very nice and definitely has the stuff to age a long time.

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  • 2008 Sineann Abondante 87 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    tasted blind toward the end of a pretty long lineup, this didn't show as well as I had hoped (and I was surprised by the reveal). The tannins seemed very aggressive, dominating the experience, with not enough body to support them. Reminded me of a poorly made barolo. Disappointing for a wine I've loved in the past. I wonder if the fruit has faded faster than expected and left this a little out of balance at this point. I'm moving up my drink-by date for my remaining bottle.

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  • 2007 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 94 Points

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

    Wow. Tasted blind, this was my WOTN out of 18 wines and it tied for 2nd among the group. Obvious CdP brett but way more subtle than the few other bretty wines in the lineup. This was stunning in its complexity and depth. I loved it.

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  • 2010 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 86 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    tasted blind, this style is just not for me. medium body, not very expressive on the nose. On the palate, the cherries are not really accented by anything else. Almost seems a little sterile.

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  • 2007 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration 93 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Tasted blind. Last wine of the lineup and oh is it a winner. So utterly smooth and deep. And delicious. And deep. And did I mention deep? This was one of my favorites and it was the group's WOTN among 18 wines with 4 out of 9 tasters putting it in their top 3 including 2 first place votes.

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Closing

We're already looking forward to the next DC/Northern Virginia offline!

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