Beckett Tasting Group - Apr 2016
Tasted April 15, 2016 by td1836 with 297 views
Introduction
Our group wanted to try wines at different price points to see how they compared to each other when we were blind to price. Wines were tasted blind in flights of 3 which contained a lower priced bottle, a mid-priced bottle, and a higher priced bottle to see if the more expensive wines were the most preferred. In two of the three flights, the most expensive bottle was the least preferred by the group. The mid-priced won the Chardonnay flight, the high-priced won the Pinot Noir flight, and the low-priced won the Zinfandel flight.
Flight 1 - Chardonnay Flight (3 notes)
The Mer Soleil received 11 votes, the Kendall-Jackson received 4 votes, and the Kistler received 0 votes.
White
2012 Kistler Chardonnay Les Noisetiers
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Light gold color, cloudiest of the three. Expressive, big nose of tropical fruits which come across a bit candied. Tart lemon flavors, but some astringent flavors at the end that is really turning me off. A small taste left on day two show the same characteristics.
White
2013 Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Grand Reserve
USA, California
Yellow with hints of green. Nose is the most muted, but getting citrus mostly. Tart, lots of buttered popcorn, some stem notes, lots of oak on the finish. Nice, but a bit unbalanced.
White
2011 Mer Soleil Chardonnay Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
Deepest gold color of the three in the flight. Slow to open up on the nose, but it is becoming more expressive with some time. This is the lightest on its feet, very balanced, a bit of minerality, light tropical fruits, lemon/lime (but not too tart). The oak is in check, it’s not overly buttery, really nice wine and the best of the flight.
Flight 2 - Pinot Noir Flight (3 notes)
The Sojourn received 8 votes, the Ladd received 4 votes, and the La Crema received 3 votes.
Red
2013 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Purple/red color, mostly translucent. Fairly muted nose, a bit of candied red fruits. Spicy, stemy, lots of earth, sweet red fruits. Least complex of the three and the finish is short and simple.
Red
2010 Sojourn Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Light orange/red color with bricking around the edges. Best nose of the bunch, beautiful perfume and flowers. Red fruits, great earthiness balancing the fruit, silky smooth texture, and a wonderful long finish. This wine was really singing tonight and the bottle age has treated it well.
Red
2011 Ladd Cellars Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Darkest color of the flight, with darker reds and purple. Lots of spicy red fruits on the nose. Very classic RRV flavors of fresh red fruits with a spicy component. Not quite a delicate or complex as the Sojourn, but a very nice effort.
Flight 3 - Zinfandel Flight (3 notes)
The Seghesio received 8 votes, the Klinker Brick received 6 votes, and the Ridge received 1 vote.
Red
2013 Ridge Lytton Springs
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Dark red/purple color. Aromas of deep dark fruits, sweet dark cherry, boysenberry. This is the best nose of the flight. Getting more of the cherry and spice, but seems a little one dimensional right now.
Red
2013 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel
USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
Dark red color. Smells of sweet brambly fruits. Candied cherries, boysenberry, and nice complexity. This is a really great QPR for a drink now zinfandel.
Closing
Somewhat as expected, price did not correlate to the group's enjoyment of the wines.
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