Sunday Group: Mini-Horizontals- Mondavi, Dominus & Chappellet
Mike's
Tasted July 9, 2017 by AllRed with 313 views
Introduction
The 2nd Sunday group gathered for our regular double blind tasting. For this group, we are presented a couple of double blind warm ups before the main flight. The warm ups are discussed & unveiled before moving on to the themed main flight. We spent forty five minutes or so tasting and evaluation the eight wines for the main flight before ranking the wines and then making guesses as to what we were tasting. Wines are ranked 1-8, one point for each place, and then unveiled from last place to first place. After the tasting, dinner is served with the additional wines brought by the group, nonblind. For this tasting we had twelve tasters and the cost was $50.
Flight 1 - Warm ups (2 notes)
Double blind.
White
2007 MacRostie Chardonnay Wildcat Mountain Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Double blind. Opens with a nice toasty quality, with apple and pear notes underneath. Bright acidity with flavors of apple, lemony citrus and toast. Excellent. Guesse Meursault.
Flight 2 - Main Flight (9 notes)
Our host intended to have the Chappellet Pritchard Hill but could not locate the bottle in the cellar and switched things up to the 2002s. I was not at all surprised that the Mondavi trio ended up as my top three as the Reserve almost always ends up at the top of my rankings in blind tastings- I enjoy the style. I was a bit surprised that the Dominus trio ended up, for the most part, at the bottom of my rankings as that had historically also been a style I preferred. It is my understanding that the style shifted a bit around this time frame to a more generous Napa-like style, so that very well may explain it. I had guessed 2007 Napa, and was very surprised by the Chappellets as they were every bit as dark in color as the 2007s, so it never occurred to me that we had a flight of older wines in the mix. In any case, a very fun theme.
Red
2002 Chappellet Mountain Cuvée
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Opens with notes of dark grapey fruit and plum. Medium tannins with dark fruit dominant. Notes of black cherry currant and florals emerge, remaining plummy and dark-fruited on the palate. 89+ pts.
My #6, Domino's #2
Group #4, 52 pts
Red
2002 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Sam's Cuvée
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Aromas of coffee and dark plummy fruit, perhaps also a touch of VA. Dark fruit on the palate with a nice finish. Doesn't change much as it sits; slightly tannic.
My #7, Domino's #7
Group #5, 65 pts
Red
2002 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Signature
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Chocolate, plum, coffee and rose petal notes. Medium tannins with plummy dark fruit and chocolate on the palate. Another that doesn't change very much as the wines sit in the glass. 89+ pts.
My #5, Domino's #4
Group #8, 72 pts
Red
2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Has a greenish overtone with mocha, red and black fruit and floral notes underneath. Fine-grained tannins are soft and approachable, with dark fruit and currant flavors. The greenish notes turn more towards eucalyptus as it sits. lovely black currant fruit. 91-92 pts.
My #2, Domino's #9
Group #9, 77 pts
Red
2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Double blind. Notes of currants, black cherry and green tobacco. Flavors of currant, tobacco and chocolate with a long finish. Develops a lovely perfumed floral quality as it sits. Elegant. 91+ pts.
My #3, Domino's #5
Group #6, 65 pts
Red
2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Perfumed dark fruit leads the way for flavors of dark fruit- cassis and black cherry- with fine tannins and good balance. This is very pretty. Floral and dark fruit qualities. 92-93 pts.
My #1, Domino's #1
Group #1, 45 pts.
Red
2007 Carpe Diem Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Notes of red currant and sandalwood, somewhat stemmy too. Tannic, with black fruit and a bitter quality in the finish.
My #9, Domino's #6
Group #7, 70 pts
Red
2007 Dominus Napanook Red
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Lifted and bright. Aromas of perfumed black fruit and root beer. Tannins are very fine, with flavors of cassis and blackberry. Develops a subtle earthy quality as well, which is very enjoyable.
My #4, Domino's #3
Group #3, 47 pts
Red
2007 Dominus Estate
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind. Similar to wine H, with notes of root beer and black fruit- currant and plum. Dark fruit and coffee flavors on the palate with a decent, if slightly short, finish. Develops an herbal quality with air, remaining tannic with ripe dark fruit on the palate.
My #8, Domino's #8
Group #2, 47 pts
Flight 3 - Dinner/dessert wines (10 notes)
With grilled flank steak and trimmings.
Rosé
2016 Stefania Mourvèdre Rosé
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Clara Valley
Cherry, rose and melon fruit notes. Strawberry and subtle spice qualities on the palate. Excellent. 89+ pts.
Red
1996 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia
The leftover portion from Wednesday's magnum. Red berry fruit and black currants in the bouquet and on the palate. Hints of florals remain as well. Hasn't lost much, and remains very well-balanced on the palate. 92+ pts.
Red
2001 Château Duhart-Milon
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Dark berry fruit aromas with a nice earthy forest floor undertone. Mixed fruit, cherry, spice box and tobacco flavors. Drinking very well and will hold at this level for some time.
Red
1992 Kunde Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
From magnum. Notes of cherry, white currants and red berry jam. There's an interesting spice note as well. Cherry and red fruit flavors on the palate. Tannins have fully integrated at this point. Just a little thin through the midpalate and finish.
Red
2000 Clos du Marquis
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Dark fruit and earth, but very muddled. There's just something lurking underneath here and I wonder if this isn't just ever so slightly tainted.
Red
2003 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Gorgeous floral overtones with cherry and stone notes underneath. Medium-bodied and silky, with flavors of cherry, mineral, spice and rose water. Well-balanced. Lengthy finish.
Red
2004 Château Faugères
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dark color. Aromas of dark fruit, incense and plum with grapey overtones. Dark fruit and plum flavors with a shortish finish.
Red
2010 Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Peppery red berry fruit and spice notes. Medium-bodied with flavors of olive, pepper and red fruit. Lengthy finish dominated by currant and pepper.
Red
2013 Viader
USA, California, Napa Valley
Dark color. Plum, blackberry and more dark fruit on both the nose and palate. Vanilla and sweet but firm tannin.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2005 Château Suduiraut
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Tropical fruit and pineapple aromas follow through on the palate. Rich texture. Honeyed pineapple carries through the finish. 92-93 pts.
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