Introduction

Blind tasting of a Tuscan syrah, sangiovese, and a Bordeaux blend after progressing through 2 learning modules downloaded from wine spectator. The goal was to identify the varietal of each blind wine and gain a better understanding of how they compare to each other. All wines were moved from a wine fridge to a regular refrigerator 2 days prior to tasting and stood up. They were then transported to the tasting site and opened 1 hour prior to tasting. After pouring the wines were too cold and took another hour to lose some off-putting musty aromas (see below) and really open up.

Flight 1 - Welcome Wine (1 note)

Flight 2 - 3 Super Tuscans (3 notes)

Closing

For most in the group this was their first real experience drinking wines exhibiting more secondary flavors than primary. Everyone correctly identified the sangiovese, but the group was split on the syrah/Bordeaux choice, with many thrown off by the meatiness of the Bordeaux. There was no group consensus wine of the night. Some (myself included) preferred the deep and brooding flavors of the Bordeaux blend, but some couldn't get past the massive tannins and relative lack of fruit. Others preferred the lightness and more apparent fruit of the sangiovese. Still others preferred the amazing finish of the syrah.