4th Saturday Brown Bagger

Wines are tasted double blind in flights, which are arranged randomly, but somewhat lighter to heavier. Each flight is discussed & unveiled before moving on to the next flight.

• NV Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Brut

  France, Champagne

  Apple and biscuit notes follow through on the palate with a ginger flavor in the finish. Medium mousse and bead. A consistent Champagne. (V&M)

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• 2022 Clarendelle Bordeaux Blanc 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux

  Double blind. Light color. Notes of straw, citrus and grass. Softened acidity with lemongrass and citrus flavors. Very nice. Guessed sauv blanc. I was a bit surprised that this was old world and had only 55% sauv blanc in the blend (along with 26% semillon and the remainder muscadelle). (V&M)

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• 2021 Claar Cellars Unoaked Chardonnay White Bluffs 86 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

  Double blind. Medium color with apple dominating the nose and palate. Round and a bit supple, with soft acidity. Rather simple. Guessed chenin. (V&M)

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• 2018 Long Meadow Ranch Chardonnay 88 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  Double blind. Light color. Notes of peach and florals, along with something along the lines of the decorative hand soaps. Rich texture with flavors of stone fruit and pear. Guessed viognier. (V&M)

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• 2015 Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Vineyards 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Double blind. Deep color. Notes of chocolate, currants and licorice. Full-bodied with flavors of plum, fig and chocolate. Develops a brown sugar quality on the palate, and with more time in the glass a subtle iron note emerges. While I initially thought Napa cab sauv, the iron note had me thinking it could be a youngish "modern" Bordeaux. (R&D)

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• 2021 John Duval Wines Shiraz Entity 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Double blind. Opaque inky color. Opens with aromas of violets, florals, currants and mulberry. Flavors of black raspberry, cherry and plum. There's a sweet quality to the fruit, in a good way. Finishes with good length. Excellent. With time in the glass this developed a dominant minty/herbaceous aroma that led me to guess Aussie syrah. (R&S)

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• 2018 Goose Ridge Vineyards Syrah

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Double blind. Opens with a plasticy/chemical note, something along the lines of the old plastic Band Aids. There's dark fruit and raspberry underneath the plastic note. Full-bodied with black fruit and plum flavors. The Band Aid notes eventually blows off leaving the dark fruit. While it lacks the color and structure of petite sirah, it defeinitely reminds me of that variety...my note said "petite but not." (J&L)

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• 2020 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Flawed

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Blind, but I immediately knew this was ours. Aromas of dark fruit with an obvious smoky, almost mesquite quality. The fruit/smoke combinations reminds me a little bit of barbecue sauce. The palate shows the same, though I did not detect the ash tray qualities others have mentioned. While this would just fine alongside brisket or ribs, it's clearly tainted. Many of the tasters didn't mind it- in fact it was WOTF for a few of the ten tasters.
  
  I picked this up at Binny's on bin end for the sole purpose of putting it in one of our blind tastings along with the 2020 Monte Bello. This is not what you expect when you reach for a bottle of the estate cabernet. I would drink in the near term so as to avoid the possibility of the smoke taint overwhelming the fruit.

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• 2021 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Terres Chaudes Flawed

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  Double blind. Deep color. This is terrible. There's a rotten, dirty quality that is hard to describe. One taster mentioned dirty diaper- there's definitely a plasticy component to this mixed with the other foul qualities and that came closest to describing the experience. I didn't want to taste it, but one small sip was all I needed to dump the rest. Sour, vile juice. Clearly there is something wrong with this bottle and cannot be representative. (V&M)

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• 2021 Bodegas Peñafiel Ribera del Duero Miros Roble 91 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Double blind. Chocolate, plum and something a little vegetal as well in the bouquet. Flavors of dark fruit- currants and plum. A touch high-toned, but very nice. Most of us guessed cab sauv. (R&S)

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• 2019 Hourglass HG III 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Double blind. Deep inky color. Aromas of cassis, violet and black fruit. Elegant, with fine tannins and flavors of currants, licorice and chocolate. Develops a lovely herbaceous note with air. Lingering finish. Guessed cab sauv dominant blend from Napa. I also thought this was a few years older than it is. A lovely bottle of wine. 93+ pts. (R&D)

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• 2016 Marietta Cellars Zinfandel Angeli

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

  Double blind. Garnet color. Notes of fig paste, dill and bouillon cubes. Full-bodied and tannic, bordering on austere, with bouillon and red fruit qualities. (J&L)

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• 2020 Ridge Monte Bello Flawed

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Blind. Not quite a year after the first bottle we opened, which didn't show smoke but didn't show like young Monte Bello should, we decided to open another and put it in the double blind lineup with a bottle of the 2020 estate cab.
  
  Similar to the estate, this showed a smoky mesquite note with dark fruit underneath. Again, easy to pick out as our wine in the flight. Full-boded with smoky dark fruit flavors. Compared to the bottle we opened in Nov 2023, this is obviously tainted. Again, would probably be nice served alongside some barbecue...but that's not what you want when you reach for Monte Bello.
  
  I'm now contemplating returning our remaining bottles, or at the very least, the magnums.

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• 2020 Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Double blind. Dark color. Aromas of chocolate, plum and vanilla. Full-bodied, with flavors of vanilla, currants, chocolate and black raspberry. There's a jammy quality to the fruit which is rather appealing here. Excellent. Clearly a young Napa cab sauv. (V&M)

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With a penne, chicken and broccoli dish, and for dessert- eclairs, cream puffs and a cinnamon/brown sugar loaf (almost like a pound cake of sorts).

• 2021 Prisoner Wine Company Saldo 87 Points

  USA, California

  Nonblind with dinner, decanted. Dark color. Dark jammy berry fruit, brambly spice and raspberry liqueur qualities on the nose and palate. Dark and ripe, slightly raisiny through the finish, with hints of white pepper as well. (V&M)

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• 2001 Château Filhot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Standard bottle. Medium gold color. About as close to liquid apricot as you can get...delicious, if that's your thing. Orange blossom, pear nectar and super ripe peach qualities as well, with balancing acidity. Delicious. A bit hit with everyone present- ten of us drained this very quickly. 92-93 pts.

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