Mike & LA's
Tasted Saturday, July 22, 2017 by AllRed with 313 views
Double blind warm ups
Double blind. Garnet core with just a bit of bricking. Peppery at first, with red and dark fruit underneath as well as floral elements. Cherry and red berry fruit on the palate with a good finish. Becomes more complex as it opens in the glass. Aromas of tobacco and currants come forward in the bouquet, while the fruit recedes ever so slightly on the palate giving this a slight leanness that had me believing this was old world. Guessed 2000 Pauillac. 94-95 pts.
This came courtesy of Mike M, and the cork was perfect. I am happy to have one still in the cellar and hope it shows as well as this did. Given the lean quality this developed, I'll open mine within the next 12 months.
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Single blind. Dark color. Aromas of grapey dark fruit with chocolate undertones. Medium tannins. Flavors of spicy dark fruit and macerated berries. Ripe, perhaps even a bit syrupy, but I like it.
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Double blind. Deep color. Opens with a terrific barnyardy funk followed by herbs and dark fruit. Flavors of tobacco, black fruit, earth, forest floor and iron shavings. The batrnyard fades and the fruit comes forward a bit, along with an iodine quality. Long and balanced. Guessed Graves.
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Double blind. Deep color. Aromas of black currant, red plum, tobacco and dried tea leaf. Medium tannins. Flavors of dark fruit and forest floor. Balanced across the palate; long finish. Guessed Bordeaux.
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Double blind. Deep color. Cassis, currant, chocolate and plum aromas. Plum and ripe dark fruit on the palate. Medium plus tannins. I did not think this was Spanish, let alone grenache. Still a bruiser, I see I tasted this in 2014 and said 5-7 years...definitely not before 2020 with this.
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Double blind. Faded crimson core with some bricking at the meniscus. Violets, currants- loads of florals and mixed fruit. My note says "gorgeous friggin' bouquet." Fully resolved on the palate with no tannin and a lovely silk texture. Black currant, red plum and violet liqueur flavors. Long finish.
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Double blind. Slightly grapey at first, a positive attribute here, along with peppery spice and abundant black fruit. Firm and grapey on the palate as well, with a nice peppery spice lingering in the finish- syrah-like in a way. With more air, chocolate and vanilla notes emerge, becoming more cab-like. Guessed Napa Cab Sauv.
Needed some air to reveal its full potential. Hold for a few years or decant for a couple of hours.
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Single blind. Rather green and herbal, with a loamy quality and red fruit buried underneath. Medium tannins. Flavors of dark fruit and pepper with a greenness on the palate as well. I rather like this, some will no doubt be turned off. Fairly easy to pick this out as our Cayuse in this flight.
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Double blind. Tight. Reticent. Dark fruit and cassis, showing quite a bit of alcohol too. Eventually able to coax a Chambourd quality out of this, but it remained fairly tight. There's fruit there, hidden behind the tannin and structure. Guessed 2013 Napa cab sauv. Opened a little by dinner time. Needs a healthy decant or preferably, a few years in the cellar. A winner in the context of the vintage.
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Double blind. Aromas of chocolate, blackberry and currants. Firm, sweet tannins with flavors of black fruit and plum. Decent finish. Seems a little tight, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.
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Nonblind
Lavender, cherry and dark fruit notes. Medium-bodied. Flavors of chocolate-covered cherries and macerated dark berry fruit. Medium(-) finish.
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Deep color. Blue fruit and vanilla notes. Tastes like a blueberry milkshake with chocolate sprinkles. I have to be in the right mood for a wine made in this style, and it's a mood I am rarely in, tonight being no exception.
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Nonblind with dinner following the tasting. Flavors of cassis and dark fruit on the nose and palate. Tannins have mellowed nicely but still have a ways to go to completely integrate. Picks up a pleasant brown sugar quality on the midpalate. Finishes with good length.
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2014 Montinore Estate Pinot Gris 75 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Double blind. Sauv blanc-like at first, with high acid and a grassy citrus quality. White fruit, no grassy notes, but it also has a bit of a varnishy/chemical quality to it that actually ends up being pleasant as it softens. Acidity remains high. I assumed this was some weird Italian variety. No one in the group was close to pinot gris, or Oregon.
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2015 Zorzal Sauvignon Blanc Terroir Unico 85 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Tupungato
Double blind. Opens with a lime/citrus note, along with a hint of cat urine. High acid with citrus fruit on the palate. Guessed NZ sauv blanc.
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2014 Val du Charron Chardonnay Reserve 80 Points
South Africa, Western Cape
Double blind. Aromas of peach, honey and stone fruit. Stone fruit on the palate. Overly acidic and harsh through the midpalate and finish. I thought this may have been an odd Italian white given the acidity.
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2013 Guy Saget Vouvray Marie de Beauregard 78 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Double blind. Honeycomb and waxy orchard fruit aromas. On the palate this is overly sweet without any balancing acidity. I had no guess as to what this was, nor did anyone for that matter. No varietal character to speak of.
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2013 Duckhorn Vineyards Chardonnay Napa Valley 86 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Woody and oaky, with toasted elements and apple underneath. more of the same on the palate- apple and toasted oak char. Finishes with decent length but the toasted oak is a bit much for the fruit here. This has to be Napa chardonnay.
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2016 Cenyth Cabernet Franc Rosé 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
Double blind. A bonus warm up courtesy of T&L. Very pale, with just the slightest hint of pink. Notes of pepper and melon, with strawberry and red berry undertones. Strawberry tones on the palate. Guessed S. France. 88-89 pts.
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