The episode in which I make a fool of myself with blind tasting

Tasted Friday, December 20, 2013 by AndrewSGHall with 488 views

Introduction

After watching the movie Somm, I had a thought to dabble in some blind tasting. I cobbled together 12 bottles from my cellar that I considered representative of their type and I didn't mind if sacrificed by not drinking them. I had my wife pick 3 white and 3 reds and serve them blind to me. (Enough time had passed since I had picked the wines that I had sort of forgot what was in there.) I ran through them, took notes and guessed what they were.

One note - I might have sort of forgotten what exactly was in there, but my guesses were clearly guided by memory of know what I would put in there. eg, I know there is a Michigan Pinot and Riesling from a good producer in that box. That makes the guesses less than blind but the results no less humbling.

Flight 1 - Whites (3 Notes)

  • 2006 Domaine Andre Neveu Sancerre Vieilles Vignes Le Manoir

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

    Clear light yellow color. Apple, fresh-cut fruit tree branch on the nose. Green apple tartness on the tongue. Alcohol intrudes on the nose and mouth. Slight bitterness on a narrow short finish. Maybe a little grassiness at second glance.

    Guess: Gruvee.

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  • 2009 Campogrande Cinque Terre

    Italy, Liguria, Cinque Terre

    Gold color. Clearly a skins/ox wine. Lacqueur and serious potpourri perfume on the nose. Carries over to the palate with almost tactile perfume. Medium acids with a little too much weight in the body. Odd notes on the finish, almost plastic.

    Guess : Blend of something done in skins/ox style.

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  • 2009 Ad Libitum (Juan Carlos Sancha) Tempranillo Blanco Rioja Blanco

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Clear and very pale. Skunky smell, maybe a little apple peel too. Tart with a slight sweetness in the body. Very light. Little finish. Very hollow.

    Guess : New world Riesling, not from W. Coast. 3-4 yrs old.

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Flight 2 - Reds (3 Notes)

  • 2006 Valle Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

    Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

    Solid dark red, no bricking. Big nose with cherry and tobacco. Bright acids but also tannin and dark fruits. Very tame, but not tasting aged at all. Nice finish with a softness.

    Guess : Blaufrankisch, Austrian, 4-5 yrs old.

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  • 2000 Château des Tuquets

    France, Bordeaux

    Medium color, consistent. Odd nose like sweat and tidal pool. very taut with strange fleshy notes, leather. Nice finish with five-spice like elements.

    Guess : Cold climate Pinot, Michigan or so. Young.

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  • 2009 Domaine Michel-Andreotti Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

    Yeasty and yammy on the nose. Big nose. Dark color. Medium acids, solid fruit though not very ripe or interesting. Little finish.

    Guess: Cru Beaujolais 2007.

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Closing

Well, that was humbling - 0 / 6.

What I find very interesting in retrospect is how few 'typical' wines I drink. (In the last 5 yrs or so.) For example, the amount of Pepe I have drank is probably 3-4x the amount of all other Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Ditto Cotat with Sancerre. I just don't have a mental framework for identifying certain aspects of a wines, especially blind. I am not sure that is a skill I want to develop, but it makes me respect the discipline and acumen needed a lot more.

It was fun and I am setting up with a couple of friends to do this at a wine shop where it will be wholly blind.

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