Blind Wine Industry Guys

Eric generously hosted 10 of us - mostly sommeliers or wine merchants - at his place for a relaxed dinner and a blind tasting of around 20 wines we had contributed - no theme, just 'interesting stuff'.

• 2002 DuMOL Chardonnay Chloe 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Served blind. Surprisingly young and fresh whilst typically oaky aged Napa Chardonnay. Gets a bit cloying for me as it warms up. Others liked it a lot more.

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• 2015 André Perret Condrieu Chery 88 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Served blind. Light silver gold. Nose of aged Comte cheese. Palate is somewhat sweet but very Condrieu. A little one-dimensional at this age.

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• 2016 Francois Carillon Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Murgers des Dents de Chien Blanc 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru

  Served blind. Light silver colour. Nose is lemony but light. Palate is very clean green apple with a slight tartness. Beautifully made. Good length. Very elegant. Guessed it was Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru or a St.Aubin 1er Cru in the hands of a great winemaker. Manuelle, who contributed the wine, asked Nicolas Deneaux to walk us through it.....he got everything right except the maker "except it's a top one"......which was a prank by Manuelle because Nicolas had been one of the winemakers on that exact wine that vintage. That was funny!

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• 2007 Domaine Labet Chardonnay Les Varrons 92 Points

  France, Jura, Côtes du Jura

  Served blind. Light straw gold. Straw nose. Palate is warm straw but a lovely fresh mineral acidity. Light in the mouth but heady on the finish. Very good indeed. Best wine of the night so far.

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• 1962 Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Brolio Riserva 89 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  Served blind. Totally transparent and faded velvet. Nose is lightly perfumed. Palate is very light but still very much alive. I guessed the year and the country but had it as Barbaresco. 89 but very interesting. One of Eric's wines.

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• 2008 COS Nero d'Avola Contrada 89 Points

  Italy, Sicily, Sicilia

  Served blind. Transparent ruby jewel colour. Nose is rich strawberry, quite perfumed. Palate is very mineral in a volcanic way. Etna for sure. Very little oak. Unexpected elegance due to its 12.5% alcohol. I'd like to try this again in a less hectic setting. It has quite a few years ahead of it still, I think.

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• 2012 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Served blind. Transparent lambs blood. Nose is refined, woodland strawberry, damp earth, light. Palate is tart and quite young and dilute but bright strawberry. Quietly high piano note finish with elements of ‘Power without weight’. Very resonant. Brilliantly well made. Come back in 10 years. Lovely resonant/reverberant finale. Amazing when revealed as a Villages. 91+ Thanks, Eric!

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• 2014 Alvaro Palacios Rioja Quinon de Valmira 87 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Served blind. Totally transparent strawberry juice colour. Nose is sweeter, less earth, more fruit, lacks a certain elegance compared to the prior wine (which was an Armand Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin 2012). Wild raspberry. Palate is really quite sweet, too sweet. I would say Loire. 2015? Turns out to be Grenache. Wow... a Rioja but a very feminine one. I didn't really 'get' this wine and would like to try it again with a paella now I know what it is, as I generally love Alvario Palacios' wines. I didn't realise until posting this note that it is a $300 bottle of wine.....that's ridiculous! I would have guessed $55 comparing it to the preceding Rousseau.

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• 2013 Sylvie Esmonin (Michel et Fille) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Served blind. Translucent ruby purple-tinged black in colour. Nose is young and quite reticent... still furled. Red earth. Palate is surprisingly fresh high acidity and great minerality but touches of old vines depth on the tongue and in the mouth. Tannic youthfulness. Margaret River? 2012? Too much oak shielding what lies behind. Is 2013 Gevrey Chambertin. Needs 10 years. Was definitely overshadowed by the Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin Villages 2012.

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• 2014 Agricola Paglione Cacc'e Mmitte di Lucera Perazzelle

  Italy, Puglia, Cacc'e Mmitte di Lucera

  Served blind. Plum wine colour...transparent and light. Nose is candied cherry and the palate has a very dry finish. A combination of two white grapes and one red. I didn't 'get' this, hence no score.

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• 2013 Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino 88 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Served blind. Jewelled bright ruby. ... transparent. Nose is deep confit Bordeaux style black and red fruit. Lots of sunshine and some sweetness and cedar shingles. Palate is really Brunello red earth and dry tannins. Some sweetness. Quite rustic but very powerful and heady. High alcohol. Much too young but will really unfold over the next decade or two.

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• 2012 Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino 88 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  Served blind. No detailed notes but this was earthy, tightly coiled and much too young but a lovely expression of Sangiovese and clearly a Brunello di Montalcino. Needs 10 hours in the decanter or 10 more years in the cellar. and then it could really blossom. The coincidence was that we drank this straight after the 2013 but two different people had brought them and so we had no idea we were participating in a vertical! 88+ for now.

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• 2001 Château Cos d'Estournel 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Served blind but knowing it would be likely one of my two 2001 Bordeaux contributions. Decanted for two hours then re-bottled for five more hours before serving. Totally opaque black red. Nose is earthy... St. Estephe? Blackberry. Palate is lovely powdered tannin and fresh lifted acidity. Very deep bramble black fruit. Very headily resonant and reverberant on the long finale. It overshadowed the 2001 Gruaud Larose drank blind alongside it....but was totally overshadowed, for me, by the 1988 Dominus and 1979 Pichon Lalonde that followed them. Has a long life ahead of it but is definitely already open for business. Scored in the top 3 out of 20 wines by several of the group. 92+

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• 2001 Château Gruaud Larose 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Served blind but knowing it was likely one of two 2001 Bordeaux I had contributed to the dinner. Like the Cos D'Estournel, it was decanted for two hours and then re-bottled for five hours before serving. Almost totally opaque black colour with just a trace of red light penetrating it. Nose is slightly pongy socks and some violets candy. Palate is good acidic freshness of attack but with a lot of antracite coal and black slab. Finish is black cherry liqueur....deep and brooding. So much less evolved than the Cos D'Estournel at this stage of its evolution. Bought en primeur and only my second bottle opened. I am hoping it will unfurl over the next 5-7 years.

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• 1979 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Served blind. Faded velvet red and a nearly watery meniscus. Still opaque at the core. Nose is beautiful elegant pencil lead, tomato plant. Palate is bright lively fresh with that tomato vine element. Haunting reverberance in a chiffonesque lightness but power. I had it as late ‘70s Napa Bordeaux blend. Was 1979 Pichon Lalande. Beautiful . Quite haunting. My WOTN and many others' too. At peak, I think, but I'm sure good bottles will stay that way for many more years. Thanks Daniel!.

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• 1988 Dominus Estate 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Served blind. Opaque red/black colour; semi-transparent at the edges. Nose is wow... blast of pencil lead, sharpened pencils and deep earthy cedar... tertiary but still with great confit black and red jellied fruit reduction. Palate is earth and deep black cherry. Wonderful depth and resonance on a very rich finish. This is like a 1989 Pauillac. Just lovely. So young. This could last forever in a good cellar. 93+

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• 1993 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame 90 Points

  France, Southwest France, Dordogne, Monbazillac

  Served blind. Deep golden brown caramel colour. Nose is new rubber inner tube and the chalk powder. Palate is lovely multi levels of caramel smoke and an old beach driftwood fire. Absolutely lovely. 90 easy. Thanks, Daniel!

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• 1975 Château Filhot 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Served blind. Gold colour that looks like lighter fuel. Nose is white mushrooms and white flowers. Palate is young mandarin orange... high citric acidity. Candied lemon from a childhood Christmas. Palate is lovely high bright acidity, light and elegant moderate coppery-ness and super light balance. Heady and resonant. A lovely end to a long night. 90+

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A fabulous evening....to the extent that I didn't record some of the wines :(