Blind tasting with Friends

A fun blind tasting using wine options.

• 1999 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  (Tasted Blind): Deep gold with a very persistent mousse, this wine has aromas of smoke, cheese rind, soy sauce, dried ginger, and sea kelp (Umami). The palate offers more orchard fruits with a refined feel, with dry, chalky acid and a hint of sweetness towards the back palate.
  Tight with a long finish, it perhaps lacks some freshness.
  60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay

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• 2015 Roux Père & Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Chatenière Blanc 90 Points

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

  (Tasted Blind): Aromas of struck match, mineral, smoke, puff pastry and light stone fruits. More definition and brightness on entry with a rich texture, a chalky acidic bite and flavours of semi-dried Moorpark apricot with a drizzle of melted butter. Lovely direction, the wine feels serious, although it lacks a bit in the mid-palate, so it's not Premier Cru and falls away quicker than I would expect from a better vineyard. However, good concentration from a warmer spot?

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• 2013 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet

  Tasted Blind): Aromas of cheese rind at first before ripe lemons, crushed oatmeal, toast crumbs, lighter stone fruit, and a touch of spice. Touch of evolution, the palate is rich and extremely broad with a meaty texture, and nutty component, and quite spicy. However, there is a vibrant acidity, decent concentration, and impressive length. Wonderful complexity this will further evolve in bottle.

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• 2008 Tenuta dei Pianali Bolgheri Coronato 89 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri

  (Tasted Blind): Check with Grammerly: 2008 Lodovico Antinori Tenuta dei Pianali Coronato Bolgheri
  A bouquet of dried spice, undergrowth, and forest fruits. Gutsy palate with plenty of warm, baked spices, tobacco, savoury notes mixed with ripe morello cherry flesh. A more baked, bold style this is direct, and intense but very accommodating on the palate with a chocolatey, Indian 5 spice quality to it; warming and generous with a decent finish given edge by some dry spice-infused tannins.

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• 2012 Alain Verset Cornas 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  (Tasted Blind): Check with Grammerly: 2012 Domaine Verset A&E Cornas: Deep to opaque ruby colour. Rather stemmy nose with clear pepper/rotundone notes and a Nivea cream, lavender, blue fruits, and a violet edge. Perfumed with sappy fresh acidity and grippy tannins the wine is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and with ripe brambly fruits, bilberry, smoked meat, and tapenade. A mouth-filling wine with good length the tannins are still firm and will repay a little more time in bottles. Good length.

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• 2015 The Blacksmith Cinsault Barebones 88 Points

  South Africa

  (Tasted Blind): Mid ruby to purple edges. Soft fruity aromas with strawberry, Bing cherry, and ripe red plum halves with a sprinkle of sweet spice.
  The palate is supple, ripe, and easy-flowing with light tannins. With little complexity, this is a fun, approachable straightforward wine with medium acidity and chalky, edged tannins.

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• 1988 Château Cos d'Estournel 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  (Tasted Blind): Deep ruby with a tertiary bouquet showing blackcurrant leaf, forest floor, deep dark black fruit, and cedarwood. Touch of spice. A dry entry the entry has an umami note with resolved tannins, a lovely depth of flavour with sappy notes of wet forest leaves, chocolate and spice. Quite a leafy, chalky texture and fairly chewy the wine is showing really well with a long finish. Quite an elegant wine.

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• 2000 Querciabella Palafreno Toscana IGT 90 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  (Tasted Blind): Tertiary aromas along with liquorice, black fruits and dark chocolate. A fabulous velvety texture on the palate with liquorice stick, Morello cherry, brambles, and 100% bitter chocolate that is coated in thick dense leather-cased tannins. Disarmingly youthful and very approachable, the wine has a chalky, dry finish that was enjoyable.

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• 1978 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 88 Points

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  (Tasted Blind): Brown mahogany colour. Tertiary aromas, with mint humbug, umami, and forest floor. A high acidic entry, the wine has deep, savory umami flavours with a sappy texture. Showing significant age, the wine is very dry, with cedar wood notes and sinewy tannins. The fruit has almost entirely disappeared, leaving prominent acidity.

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• 1997 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Rosalack Auslese 92 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  (Tasted Blind): Deep gold colour. The nose is intense and lifted with floral notes and lemons on honey. The palate is concentrated with fabulous intensity, honey, and floral elements. The texture is balanced with a long and impressive finish.

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• 2009 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont 95 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  (Tasted Blind): Check with Grammerly: 2009 Domaine Huet Vouvray 'Le Mont' Moelleux
  Mid-gold colour. Intense aromas of hay, candle wax, grilled lemon and honey. A sweet entry on the palate but feels drier as the mineral-edged malic acid kicks in. Wonderful development with fabulous intensity there are notes of creamed honey, meadow flowers and greengage jam coating the mid-palate and a slightly saline lemony undertow complex as it gracefully unfolds on the finish. Excellent and still with plenty of time to age.
  Sourced from Le Mont vineyard

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