(non-blind - my wine) Deep purple. Faint brown olive, maybe distant roasted peppers - the only hint of pyrazines. Intense and well-integrated blackcurrant and blackberry. Black chocolate. Deliciously well-integrated nose of baking spices (french oak) with black fruit. Smells like a barrel room - the cold one with the 2015's. Like wine-stained wooden barrels in the cold air. Medium plus body, elevated alcohol, high tannins, elevated acid. Long chewy finish, blackcurrant.
Guesses were either cool Napa or modern Left Bank Bordeaux.
20 months in 50% new French oak
Cabernet Sauvignon 92% Malbec 4% Cabernet Franc 2% Petit Verdot 2%
(non-blind - my wine) Smells like chemical peas and carrots and freshly-cut bell pepper. Intensely pyrazinic in an unpleasant way. Elevated acid - tastes like straight tartaric acid (acidified?), medium tannins, and elevated alcohol - feels 14% and not holding it well. Not much fruit. Pretty undrinkable.
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
(non-blind - my wine) Medium minus ruby-garnet. Slightly metallic nose, with prominent dried bell pepper pyrazines, slight brett, faded blackberry, faded red cherry, cigar ash. Very austere palate. Some sweet savoriness from age but pretty dried-out. Finishes tart, dry, and harsh with a bit of wet coffee grounds and old cigarette. Dry, medium body, medium alcohol, high acid, medium tannins - a bit harsh. Can't believe this is the '96 Taluau - not the best bottle?
(blind) Medium ruby color, with a hint of garnet at the rim. Nose - Reductive - burnt rubber - Hint of brett, hint of red fruit - Black tea, some overripe black cherry. - Faint black pepper (possibly due to reduction - I often confuse the two, and when there's reduction, I have to wonder whether my personal impression of black pepper is associative, instead of varietal / due to rotundone). - Slight fishiness - isinglass flaw?
On the palate, dry, medium body, medium alcohol - feels 13.5% (actually 13%), elevated acid, high tannins - scratchy and papery.
Laterals: - CA Cab - wouldn't have brett, and would have new oak. - Loire cab franc - would be more pyrazinic and lower in alcohol. - Malbec - cahors - would be darker in color, and have lower acid. - bordeaux - entry level bordeax with more merlot - fits.
(blind) Medium + ruby color. Nose: - stewed bell peppers - super vanilla - likely 100% new French oak - blackcurrant. Palate: - full bodied 14.5% alcohol (correct) - medium acid - high tannins.
Pyrazines indicate a Bordeaux variety. The oak is important:
Laterals: - Bordeaux: No, it's way too high alcohol/oaky.
Conclusion: This is straight up classic Napa Cabernet, young - 2014. Actually: Napa Cabernet, 2013
Medium + ruby color. Nose is decidedly bretty - with dog fur - manure and savory mushroom development - Green bell peppers, slightly rotten - Really fecal
This is classic cab franc - finishes tart and dry with medium body, 13% alcohol (warmer year), med plus acid, medium tannins.
No impression of oak. Some mid-palate blackberry fruit.
Final call: Cab franc - loire, 2015? - It tastes young, and also like it's from a riper year. Correct!
2013 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
(non-blind - my wine)
Deep purple.
Faint brown olive, maybe distant roasted peppers - the only hint of pyrazines.
Intense and well-integrated blackcurrant and blackberry.
Black chocolate. Deliciously well-integrated nose of baking spices (french oak) with black fruit. Smells like a barrel room - the cold one with the 2015's. Like wine-stained wooden barrels in the cold air.
Medium plus body, elevated alcohol, high tannins, elevated acid.
Long chewy finish, blackcurrant.
Guesses were either cool Napa or modern Left Bank Bordeaux.
20 months in 50% new French oak
Cabernet Sauvignon 92%
Malbec 4%
Cabernet Franc 2%
Petit Verdot 2%
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2015 Criterion Collection Carménère Reserva 60 Points
Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley
(non-blind - my wine)
Smells like chemical peas and carrots and freshly-cut bell pepper. Intensely pyrazinic in an unpleasant way.
Elevated acid - tastes like straight tartaric acid (acidified?), medium tannins, and elevated alcohol - feels 14% and not holding it well. Not much fruit. Pretty undrinkable.
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1996 Joël Taluau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes Flawed
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
(non-blind - my wine)
Medium minus ruby-garnet.
Slightly metallic nose, with prominent dried bell pepper pyrazines, slight brett, faded blackberry, faded red cherry, cigar ash.
Very austere palate. Some sweet savoriness from age but pretty dried-out. Finishes tart, dry, and harsh with a bit of wet coffee grounds and old cigarette.
Dry, medium body, medium alcohol, high acid, medium tannins - a bit harsh.
Can't believe this is the '96 Taluau - not the best bottle?
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2014 Château La Creste 82 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves
(blind)
Medium ruby color, with a hint of garnet at the rim.
Nose
- Reductive - burnt rubber
- Hint of brett, hint of red fruit
- Black tea, some overripe black cherry.
- Faint black pepper (possibly due to reduction - I often confuse the two, and when there's reduction, I have to wonder whether my personal impression of black pepper is associative, instead of varietal / due to rotundone).
- Slight fishiness - isinglass flaw?
On the palate, dry, medium body, medium alcohol - feels 13.5% (actually 13%), elevated acid, high tannins - scratchy and papery.
Laterals:
- CA Cab - wouldn't have brett, and would have new oak.
- Loire cab franc - would be more pyrazinic and lower in alcohol.
- Malbec - cahors - would be darker in color, and have lower acid.
- bordeaux - entry level bordeax with more merlot - fits.
Final call: 2014 Bordeaux Superieur. $20. 60% merlot, 40% cab/cab franc.
Pretty much spot on: 60% merlot/40% cab.
2014 chateau la creste graves. ~$20
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2013 Coho Cabernet Sauvignon Old Poodle Dog 86 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
(blind)
Medium + ruby color.
Nose:
- stewed bell peppers
- super vanilla - likely 100% new French oak
- blackcurrant.
Palate:
- full bodied 14.5% alcohol (correct)
- medium acid
- high tannins.
Pyrazines indicate a Bordeaux variety. The oak is important:
Laterals:
- Bordeaux: No, it's way too high alcohol/oaky.
Conclusion: This is straight up classic Napa Cabernet, young - 2014.
Actually: Napa Cabernet, 2013
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2015 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 80 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
(blind)
Medium + ruby color.
Nose is decidedly bretty - with dog fur
- manure and savory mushroom development
- Green bell peppers, slightly rotten
- Really fecal
This is classic cab franc - finishes tart and dry with medium body, 13% alcohol (warmer year), med plus acid, medium tannins.
No impression of oak.
Some mid-palate blackberry fruit.
Final call: Cab franc - loire, 2015? - It tastes young, and also like it's from a riper year.
Correct!
Label says 12% alcohol.
It's a bit disjointed - poorly integrated
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