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The Blind Drunks monthly tasting
Joe's
Tasted October 19, 2008 by AllRed with 592 views
Introduction
Our October tasting was an "uptown" theme, meaning the quality of the wines should be kicked up a notch or two. The wines are brought in brown bags and served double blind to the group. Flights are arranged randomly, but generally we aim for lightest to heaviest. Each flight is tasted, discussed and unveiled before moving on to the next flight.
Flight 1 - I. Warm-up whites. (3 notes)
The whites, graciously provided by our host, were waiting for us, having been decanted ahead of time. The additional air was very good to these wines.
White
2005 Brick House Chardonnay
92 points
Tasted double blind. Notes of apple, almond, and pear with a waxy undertone. Medium to full bodied, with apple and marzipan flavors, with a nice minerally finish.
White
2005 Yering Station Chardonnay Reserve
91 points
Aromas of lychee, oak and pear with a subtle toasty overtone. Flavors of apple and almond, along with a nice toasty oak component. Finishes very well. I guessed this was from California.
White
2005 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay Belle Terre Vineyard
91 points
Pale yellow color. Notes of mineral, vanilla, almonds and a subtle hint of oak. Wonderful balance, with flavors of pear, oak, apples and minerals.
Flight 2 - II. Reds. (4 notes)
Red
1989 Château Montrose
95 points
Garnet color. Opens with a roasted red bell pepper note, which is followed by cedar, violets and damp earth. Flavors of red currant and cedar/wood, with a long finish dominated by red fruit and herbs. By the end of the flight this had really filled out in the glass with loads of rich fruit. I guessed this to be a 1989 St. Julien.
Red
2001 Copain Pinot Noir Hein Family Vineyard
91 points
Pale garnet color, turning clear at the edge. Notes of spice and cinnamon, along wiith clove and cherry. The cherry tones dominate the fruit profile, with a long finish accentuated by warm baking spices. My guess was RRV Pinot. 91+ pts.
Red
1989 Château La Mission Haut-Brion
96 points
Garnet color, showing a little bit of bricking at the edge. Initial notes of clove and spice, with an earthy quality too. With a few minutes in the glass, notes of earth, tar and roasted herbs jumped from the glass. Loads of red fruit on the palate, balanced by a nice earthy undertone. Long finish.
Red
1993 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
92 points
Garnet color. Initial aromas of clove and spice, a touch hot, with a subtle raisiny tone. A little time in the glass and notes of herbs and dark fruit appear. Medium-bodied, and well-balanced, with soft tannins. Flavors of blackberry, red currants and fig paste. 92+ pts.
Flight 3 - III. Reds. (4 notes)
Red
2001 Pillar Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District
93 points
Garnet color. Notes of mint, blackberry, cherry, sage & herbs. Well-balanced, with flavors of blackberry, dark fruit and spice, with a nice, long finish. Delicious.
Red
2003 Sloan Asterisk
91 points
Decanted for sediment and returned to bottle, remained uncorked for a couple of hours prior to being served blind. Garnet color, lighter toward the rim. The aromas changed constantly as this sat in the glass. Notes of mint, cherry, grapefruit, currants and cassis. Full bodied, with flavors of blackberry, citrus, red currants and spice. Toasty, spicy oak and red fruit tones on the finish. Really young, try again in 2013+.
Red
2002 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
93 points
Dark, inky garnet color. Aromas of herbs, red fruit, plum and chocolate. Full-bodied, with relatively high acid. Flavors of plum, menthol and black fruit.
Red
2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
Decanted for sediment and returned to bottle, left uncorked for a couple of hours & put into the double blind tasting. Garnet color. Some at the table thought this was very mildly corked, including me. Mint and alcohol armas dominate. Revisiting this later, some blackberry and cassis notes had emerged, and the mustiness had blown off. Flavors of dark fruit and blackberry. Smelled nothing like it did upon opening. A very confusing bottle.
Flight 4 - IV. Reds. (5 notes)
Red
2003 Clos Mogador Priorat Manyetes
93 points
Garnet color. Aromas of red fruit, roasted red bell pepper and dark fruit. Deep red fruit flavors on the palate, with an earthy, Bordeaux-like undertone. The finish is long, dominated by red fruit tones. Excellent stuff. 93-94 pts.
Red
2001 Copain Syrah Cailloux & Coccinelle
Garnet color. Notes of dill, asparagus and grapefruit. The vegetable and grapefruit qualities show up on the palate as well. I'm sorry to whomever brought this, but I can't drink it. Terrible stuff.
Red
2001 Jones Family Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points
Deep garnet color. Notes of blackberry, cassis, chocolate and perfumed floral tones. Firm tannins and full-bodied, with flavors of cassis and blackberry. Finishes nicely. 93+ pts.
Red
1999 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
94 points
Garnet color. Opens with a great roasted red bell pepper note, followed by red currants, spice and wood aromas. Fills out nicely in the mouth, with flavors of dark fruit and herbs, with a long, balanced finish.
Red
1999 Shafer Relentless
Deep garnet color. Port-like. Aromas of black fruit, raisins and prunes, becoming more perfumed as it sits in the glass...more like an Amarone. Flavord of dark fruit and spice, with a decent finish.
Flight 5 - V. Dinner wines. (4 notes)
Red
2003 Hill Climber Syrah Pilgrimage
91 points
Notes of dark fruit and meat, with flavors of dark fruit and spice. Nice length to the finish.
Red
2003 Sloan Asterisk
Revisited this with dinner, having had more time in the bottle. More red fruit than dark on the nose, along with spicy oak and herb aromas. Has shut down some on the palate though, and the tannins dry out on the finish.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Alois Kracher Chardonnay TBA #7 Nouvelle Vague
92 points
Deep glden color. Notes of honey, marmalade and apricot jam. The palate follows the aromatics, with stone fruit, apricot and marmalade flavors, but for me this needed a bit more acidity.
Red - Fortified
N.V. Schuetz Oles
88 points
Dark garnet color. Notes of raisin, blackberry and raspberry liqueur. Flavors of cassis and blackberry.