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Ken's High Flying Hermitage
Ken's Castle
Tasted January 21, 2021 by bubbachumps with 200 views
Introduction
Our first tasting we chipped into for the host to source all wines. Started with Mt Tam Tripple Cream, White Cheddar with Truffle, Cowgirl Creamery Purple Haze Goat Cheese and a firm Truffled Gouda made w/ Sheep milk. Seafood risotto made with Shrimp, Crab, Bay Scallops and saffron. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert.
Flight 1 - Opening white to kick off the evening (1 note)
White
2018 Eisele Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Altagracia
93 points
Delicious sauvignon blanc. Crisp and refreshing bouquet and palate, with an underlying creaminess on the finish. Stone fruits, cirtus and faint peach on the nose. Crisp acidity, but not linear by any stretch, coats the palate nicely. Really really enjoyed.
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Comment
Flight 2 - Wines served blind even though the lineup was revealed before the tasting (5 notes)
Sequence: 1-Le Meal, 2- Tectumuque, 3-Les Granits, 4-Tourettes and 5-De L'Oree
White
2015 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc Le Méal
95 points
Honeysuckle, light lemon and faint vanilla on the nose. Creamy lanolin/lemon on the palate with a very long finish. This wine continued to get stronger and stronger as the night went on. There is a lot of stuffing in this wine, waiting to be unleashed. Nothing is needed but time in the bottle to uncoil. This might be going through a dumb phase but needs some age for sure. Finished 3 out of 5 within a very strong lineup.
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Comment
White
2017 Sine Qua Non Tectumque
97 points
Just a fantastic bottle of wine. Very expressive nose with notes of orange marmalade, meyer lemon and some white flowers. On the palate, rich and expansive with flavors carrying on in a long finish. Full throttle in the best sense of the word and steamrolled these hermitage white we consumed this evening. A fun wine to drink and ready to go today, no need to hold this one. Finished 1 out of 5 within a very strong lineup (half the group picked this #1).
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Comment
White
2014 M. Chapoutier St. Joseph Blanc Les Granits
95 points
Similar to the Chapoutier Le Meal but more expressive, Lanolin, waxy vanilla, slight orange marmalade and flint on the nose. Medium-bodied and well balanced on the palate, with a wonderful finish. This is in a perfect window tonight. Ready to go and delicious! Finished 2 out of 5 within a very strong lineup (half the group picked this #1).
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Comment
White
2016 Delas Frères Hermitage Blanc Domaine des Tourettes
91 points
This suffered against the other wines, nice wine but outclassed by its competition. Somewhat earthy more muted nose than the others in this lineup, some honeydew melon, marzipan and earthy notes on the nose, Decent finish. A nice wine that would be appreciated on any evening. Finished 5 out of 5.
White
2016 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L'Orée
94 points
Notes of honeydew, honeysuckle and some lemon on the nose. Larger scaled on the palate with an almost chardonnay like finish. A lot to like here, but just didn't reach the heights of the SQN Tetmeque, Chapoutier Les Granits or Chapoutier Le Meal. Finished 4 out of 5 within a very strong lineup.
Flight 3 - Heavy duty Cabernet Sauvignon to round out the evening! (1 note)
Red
2016 Arkenstone Estate
96 points
Extraordinary wine! Massive scale and polish at the same time. Ripe berries, cassis, blackberry, currant and a touch of smoke, displaying a very complex bouquet. Gobbs of fruit on the palate without a pinch of excess. Very well put together, expansive and seamless. There is a alot of wine here, this should age very nicely but very good right now too. Drink or hold, you won't be diappointed!
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Comments (6)
Closing
Very happy with how this tasting turned out. Had to socially distance on the patio due to a COVID scare within the group but went smoothly all things considered.