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High Low Blind Tasting Part II - Can you taste the difference NOW?
Amy and Scott's house
Tasted August 5, 2018 by galewskj with 247 views
Introduction
This is the second tasting I did on this theme. The intention is to serve two wines blind that are of a similar style and priced significantly differently. Towards that end, I made the price difference even larger than the previous tasting, and even threw in some very simple wines. 15 people were in attendance.
Flight 1 - Sparklers - $20 vs $153 (2 notes)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley
88 points
Tasted blind alongside 2004 Dom Perignon. This wine had some yeast, brioche, pear and baking spice. The bubbles were much larger than the Dom Perignon, and the Roederer was slightly sweeter. The bubbles and flavor resulted in a shorter and slightly sharp finish. One person compared the finish to 7up, which I couldn't disagree with. 4 out of 15 people preferred this over the 2004 Dom Perignon.
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White - Sparkling
2004 Dom Pérignon Champagne
92 points
Served blind alongside NV Roederer Estate. This had a deeper nose, and a finish that was refined, long and complex. The wine seems to be deep and rich on the nose and initial attack, while the mid-palate and finish are more citrus and lively. 11 out of 15 people preferred this over NV Roederer Estate.
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Flight 2 - Chardonnay - $8 vs $61 (2 notes)
White
2016 Souverain Chardonnay
86 points
Tasted blind alongside 2012 Dumol Chloe, this was constistent with my previous experience with the wine. This is a fairly simple wine, but it does have true Chardonnay character, which is why I added it to this tasting. The color is quite light, and there isn't a whole lot there, but it does not offend. 2 out of 15 people preferred this over the 2012 Dumol Chloe.
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White
2012 DuMOL Chardonnay Chloe
92 points
Pop and pour, tasted blind alongside 2016 Souverain Chardonnay. This wine was an elegant and rich chardonnay. It is so balanced, and the oak has integrated well. Golden and tropical fruit persists along with butterscotch and spice notes. 13 out of 15 people preferred this to the 2016 Souverain.
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Flight 3 - Pinot Noir - $29 vs $79 (2 notes)
Red
2013 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
90 points
Slow o'd 2 hours, and served blind alongside the 2012 Old Vines Summa. This was the simpler wine, which also made it more accessible and easier to drink. To me, this is the textbook Rivers Marie style of tangerine, cranberry, sweet red cherry and baking spice. I was surprised that the group struggled to identify the origin of this wine. 6 out of 15 people preferred this wine to the Old Vines Summa.
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Red
2012 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Old Vines
92 points
Decanted 30 minutes and served blind alongside the 2013 RM Sonoma Coast. This was darker in color and along with flavor, and had more earth, maybe even a little tar. The fruit is richer than the Sonoma Coast, there is a gravelly minerality, and it is a bit hot. 9 out of 15 people preferred this over the 2012 Rivers Marie Sonoma Coast.
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Flight 4 - Cabernet - $13 vs $132 (2 notes)
Red
2014 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon
88 points
Decanted 30 minutes and served blind alongside 2012 Outpost True Vineyard cabernet. The group completely nailed this as being a simple but acceptable cabernet. The term "porch pounder" was mentioned by a couple people. No one loved it, and no one complained about it being completely worthless. There were no votes for this wine over the 2012 Outpost True Vineyard.
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Red
2012 Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard
92 points
Decanted 5 hours and served blind alongside 2014 Kenwood Cabernet. This is a fairly typical modern Napa profile, with a lot of flashy fruit flavors. Even with the decant it is still quite big, although the tannins seem fairly resolved. 15 out of 15 people preferred this over the 2014 Kenwood Cabernet.
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Flight 5 - Rhone - $15 vs $77 (2 notes)
Red
2012 La Vinsobraise Vinsobres Sélection Vieilles Vignes
88 points
Doubled decanted and served alongside a 2011 Janasse VV. This wine was in good shape and typical of an entry level Rhone. Garrigue, licorice and earth are present. It is fairly large-bodied. 1 out of 15 people preferred this to the 2011 Janasse VV.
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Red
2011 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
92 points
Decanted 1 hour and served alongside a 2012 La Vinsobraise Vinsobres Sélection Vieilles Vignes. This wine was considerably more complex. There was a bit of stewed fruit in this, along with tomato, black licorice, dark fruit and earth. 14 out of 15 people preferred this over the Vinsobraise.
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Flight 6 - Syrah - $23 vs $102 (2 notes)
Red
2013 Carlisle Syrah Sonoma County
92 points
Decanted 1 hour and served blind alongside a 2009 Lillian Blue label syrah. This was a conflicted matchup. The general consensus was that this wine was considerably more complex and was also less elegant. There is a lot going on in this wine, tobacco, blacktop, olives, floral notes and purple fruit. 9 out of 15 people preferred this over the 2009 Lillian Blue Label.
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Red
2009 Lillian Winery Syrah Blue Label
90 points
Decanted 2 hours and served blind alongside the 2013 Carlisle Syrah Sonoma Coast. This wine seems well-integrated, silky and friendly. Towards that end, it comes across as being simple. I really wasn't sure about this matchup, and am not entirely shocked that only 6 out of 15 people preferred this to the 2013 Carlisle Sonoma Coast.
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Flight 7 - Sauternes - $20 vs Corked (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2010 Maison Sichel Sauternes
90 points
Served blind alongside a corked 2001 Suduiraut. This wine is a straightforward Sauternes that is drinking well right now. Orange peel, caramel, honey and spice. This juts hits the exceptional level to me. 11 out of 15 people preferred this to a corked 2001 Suduiraut, for whatever that means.
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White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Château Suduiraut
flawed
Corked. Served blind alongside a 2010 Sichel Sauternes. Even though this was corked, you could kind of blow off the corkiness and still smell a lovely Sauternes underneath. The palate certainly had a note of wet cardboard, but I could also taste some of the Sauternes. I've never had a corked Sauternes before, and this was strange in that it wasn't entirely unpleasant. I easily forgave those at the tasting that chose to drink it, or even preferred it to the 2010 Sichel. 4 out of 15 people preferred this corked bottle to a 2010 Sichel Sauternes.
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Closing
Overall, the group was able to identify the more expensive wine 75% of the time (68 votes to 22). This is significantly better than the previous tasting, when we were only able to pick the more expensive wine 57% of the time. I think a lot can be said for wine selection, and considering the wines that were poured, it makes sense that people did better with these wines. But once again, with only a couple exceptions, everyone felt that the wine they enjoyed more WAS the more expensive wine, even when they were wrong about which wine cost more.