4/14/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

w/PK
med plus ruby. Intense nose. tightly wrapped cassis, hints of dark green pepper, coffee. Elevated tannins, acid, alcohol. Great extraction. Medium plus tannins - a bit bitter-chocolate. Decently long. Feels like a solid cab, not overripe, good aging power.

3/24/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

@GenAI collective podcast recording. Medium body, slightly elevated alcohol, medium acid, low tannins - felt like a nice slightly aged GSM. not a ton of tertiary notes. Medium impression of just-ripe and slightly faded red fruit. Grenache and Jurancon noir.

3/14/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Magnum. W/PH team at Indie. Light ruby-garnet. My nose isn’t fully back from Covid, but it had lovely dried cherry and dried leave notes. Soft palate. Good acid. I didn’t pick up on tobacco / pyrazines but Aaron did.

3/8/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

w/ Kwin, Nina, Mike
medium body, medium acid, light phenolics - classic albariño body. I didn't get much in the way of florals but my sinuses were a bit stuffed. Seemed like a solid CA Albariño!

3/1/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

@bellota Palomino fino. 12,5% 24m in barrel without flor.
Brett! Some natty notes. Dry cider.
Slight apple cider prickle. Dry. Medium plus acid. Medium body. Savory. Like dry borough market sherry. Not crazy funky though. Sherry like but fresher. And a bit funky.

2/24/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

13.5%. Sweet. Nose of medium terpenes. Medium plus acid. Medium plus bitterness. Balanced. Has some minerality. I’d guess a few years old late harvest gewurz. Feels around 100 g/L. Well balanced. Moscatel dried on reed mats.

2/23/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Indie w/ Anita (Indie Wine Bar): Elevated alcohol and acid. Rich. Fairly ripe black cherry. Slightly stewed. Not a ton of tertiary notes. Fruit is still very much there. Low, silky tannins - melted. Lovely, if uncomplicated.

2/23/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Indie w/ Anita (Indie Wine Bar): Medium plus ruby, hint of garnet at the rim.
Savory, slightly tomato-y nose. Also some ripe red fruit. Elevated alcohol, body, and great acid. Low+ tannins. Smooth-textured. Some hints of savory tertiary notes but still fairly fresh. Lovely and relatively light on the palate!

2/14/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Ungrafted w/ Laura (Ungrafted, SF): Lovely. Orange blossom. Slight apricot. Tangerine. Elevated acid. Light. Lovely.
Quite sweet but not super viscous. Maybe 80 g/L? No idea, but it wasn’t Sauternes-level sweetness. (light research reveals 5 puttonyos has to be over 120g/L, so probably around there).

2/14/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Ungrafted w/ Laura (Ungrafted, SF): Elevated acid. Medium tannins. Slight carbonic notes. Dark fruit. Elevated alcohol. Slight pepper and olive. Nose feels like classic low ripeness Syrah - it's reminding me of Arnot-Roberts Que Sera Syrah, a little bit of Graillot as well. Ripe palate though - there's sunshine here.

2/14/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Ungrafted w/ Laura (Ungrafted, SF): Slight strawberry. Dark fruit. Medium brioche. Fine bubbles. Perfect dosage. Fresh apples. High acid. Great.

2/14/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Ungrafted w/ Laura (Ungrafted, SF): Medium-weight smaragd (e.g. feels closer to Alzinger than Knoll). Acid not super high. Lovely light nectarine with hint of radish on the nose.

2/17/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

w/ kina, avgolemono. Medium straw color - has some density to the hue. Very aromatic. Slightly reductive. White flowers. Extremely low ripeness note - reminds me of lime, maybe even cut grass, like a Sauvignon. Grapefruit. Grapefruit skin / oil.

Medium plus body, feels 14% alcohol, high acid (clean, tartaric. Excellent midpalate citrus fruit. Phenomenal length and long acid. Mid-palate bitter mineral note (like high TDS mineral water). Complex midpalate and finish. Shades of lime, Meyer lemon, stones, saline.

2/17/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

w/ Kina.
Out of the bottle, pale pink-salmon. Aromatic strawberry, beeswax, honey, green apple.
Dry, medium body, elevated alcohol, elevated acid - really nice. Some light apple balsamic notes. Hint of raw and stewed carrot. Expansive on the midpalate. Good density and very strong acid.

2/16/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

@bellota Medium minus ruby magenta. High brightness and lustre.
Natty? Slight funk - Brett? Maybe not. Slight manure. Not in a bad way. Slight incense also (?). Medium body. Slightly…natty? Peanutty? Maybe a bit mousy. 14% alcohol. Medium plus acid. Nice and tart. Low tannins. Ripe red cherry.

2/16/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

@bellota (Blind)

Medium minus ruby magenta. Bright.
Red fruit. Slight ripe fruit. Fruity. Grapey. Ripe cherry.
Elevated alcohol and acid. 14% very tart finish. Bordering on high acid.
Medium minus tannins.
No oak.
Mencia?

Soft structure - low impression of oak. Not Rioja. Not Priorat (would have more oak). Not Ribera del Duero.

No real guess.

Actually: priorat! It has the acid, alcohol, density. Just doesn’t have a ton of oak. In hindsight maybe I’ve been anchoring off of oakier examples. This is delicious!

In hindsight there’s a little vanilla on the nose that might hint at oak.

2/16/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

@bellota Apple and slight brioche on the nose. Fine bubbles. Mediumnplus acid. Midpalate is light, airy, almost a little nectarine. Finish is a little bitter apple skin. Overall nice for cava but not the length, acid, fruit development, or lees complexity I’d expect from champagne. 3Y on lees but doesn’t really show it.

2/15/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Clean, elevated acid, reductive toast and struck match, lithe. Reminded me of Margaret River chard. Medium alcohol. W/ Chris Messina at Moma.

2/3/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Slight grass. Medium acid. Dry, medium body. Ripe fruit. @will’s w/bernat, peas, et al.

2/1/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Heirloom with Leon and Laura (Heirloom, San Francisco): vinegar and dill!!! Lovely tertiary notes. Fig. Tamari. Red dried cherry. Great acid. Very soft tannins. It’s classic old Rioja. Lovely.

2/1/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Heirloom with Leon and Laura (Heirloom, San Francisco): Stewed pepper pyrazines. Black fruit. Tertiary notes. Beautiful. Slight Brett. Slight oak. Delicious nose. Powerful on palate. Coffee. Dark fruit. Elevated bitter chocolate tannins. Silky. 14.5%. Holds it well. Feels 13.5.

2/1/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Heirloom with Leon and Laura (Heirloom, San Francisco): super nice. Rich brioche. Hint of toast. Slightly toasted apple pie. Great acid. Fine mousse. Appropriate dosage. Lovely

1/19/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Blinds w/ Jenny's supper club (Jenny's): Oxidized. Very prominent raisin aromas.

14.5% alcohol. High acid and tannins.

given the oxiation, raisination, and elevated alcohol, I'm guessing Valpolicella Ripasso.

Laterals:
- Zinfandel (would be cleaner, fruitier)
- Southern Rhône - wouldn't be this oxidized

Actual: 2017 CdP
Analysis: This wine is over the hill. Oxidized bottle perhaps.

1/19/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Blinds w/ Jenny's supper club (Jenny's): (blind)
Dark skin.
Some oak.
Slight pyrazines.
14.5% (close - 14.8%)

Elevated tannin. Ripe and rounded.
Med plus acid.
This has some age.

Final Call: given the greenness, Chilean Cab, ~10y old, but it seems like higher quality than most (plus more oak than most Chilean cabs).
Actual: Crowley Cab, Napa, 10y old
Analysis: this is pretty green for a Napa cab. It’s not in a terrible place though.

1/19/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Blinds w/ Jenny's supper club (Jenny's): (blind) Light skin. Ruby with a garnet rim. High alcohol. High tannin. Bitter. Lovely floral strawberry cherry.

Med plus acid. 14.5% alcohol.

Called: Barolo
- Chianti, brunello would have a higher acid-to-tannin ratio
- Barbaresco vs. Barolo - I don't know that I could tell.

Actual: Barolo.

1/19/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Blinds w/ Jenny's supper club (Jenny's): (blind) Light skin. Low aromatics. Slight garnet.
14%
Medium tannins.
Medium plus acid.

Southern rhone?
New world Pinot?

Called: Southern Rhone Cotes du rhone.

Actually 2020 Faively Gevrey vv 13%.

After an hour, it became more aromatic - some red fruit, a little raspberry, a little sweaty, earthy, fruit.

1/19/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Blinds w/ Jenny's supper club (Jenny's): (blind)
Medium ruby.
Pinot-like reductive red fruit.
No oak.
Med tannins.
Strong raw peppercorn aromas.
Despite the lighter color, the structure and aromatics are consistent with a leaner Rhone syrah - Crozes-Hermitage.

Actual: Australia Syrah
Analysis: I feel good about this call.

1/19/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Blinds w/ Jenny's supper club (Jenny's): (blind)
Some oxidation. rounded - feels like oak. Alcohol - 13% (actually 12.5%). Softer and feels like medium acid. Guessed Sonoma Chard
Actually: Alit Burgundy, older (2014) and kinda falling apart right now.
Analysis: Overestimated alcohol slightly and confused malo+age+lees for oak.
Score: one miss

1/25/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Ungrafted w/ Andrea (Ungrafted, SF): (blind)
Medium plus ruby.
Tertiary notes - VA (perfume), leather, savory tamari. Really good. Very slight impression of brett.
On the palate: SO GOOD. An old wine in good condition.
13.5% alcohol.
Medium tannins - melted.
medium plus acid.

Few things age this well.
Burgundy - would have higher acid.
CA cab - would probably still have gobs of black fruit and higher alcohol unless it's really old.
Rioja - it could totally be rioja. Actually tasting it, rioja fits almost better. It doesn't have dark fruit from Bordeaux.

Final call:
2016 Rioja Gran Reserva
2013 rioja reserva

Analysis: nice! my logic was sound. misjudged the degree of oak treatment

1/25/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Ungrafted w/ Andrea (Ungrafted, SF): (blind)
Deep opaque ruby.
heavy, ripe fruit-forward nose. Slight funky - reduction or mushrooms maybe? Something vegetal but not pyrazines - tomato leaf.
slight dark note - maybe reduction, maybe pepper. Hard to tell.
Dry, high alcohol - 14.5% (actually 12.5%!), high acid - very sour, almost aggressively sour, elevated tannings.

This is a wild wine. Dark color, big body, ripe fruit, elevated acid:

- Cab - doesn't feel right because no pyrazines, no oak, fruit feels underripe plum
- Malbec - could fit, but it's so sour.
- Syrah - too sour for Australia, too ripe for N rhone.

Final call: 2022 Malbec, Argentina.
Syrah from crozes-hermitage 2020.

Analysis
- alcohol - I called it higher - it's actually 12.5%
- logic: should have double-clicked on N Rhone.
Overall this is a really clean, really fruit-forward, and really sour syrah.

Score: 2 misses

1/25/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Ungrafted w/ Andrea (Ungrafted, SF): (blind)
medium ruby, slight garnet
Sweet nose, slightly raisined (prunes), slight va (balsamic prickle). note of underripe fruit as well. Very clear millerandage (zin, grenache, syrah, or a blend)
Medium body. 14% alcohol (correct - 14.1%). Elevated acid, medium tannins.
Savory. Slight impression of oak - slight vanilla. Good structure, savory but ripe, slight oak. Slight pepper. Very slight brett.

Could be:

- Syrah - would be darker in color
- Zin - has raisination but would be riper, higher even in alcohol. more fruit.
- Chianti - would have higher acid and tannins.
- Cru beaujolais - would have higher acid and no oak.
- Rioja? could fit w oak, but wouldn't have raisination.

Final call:
- 2020 Zinfandel, more restrained style.
- 2021 Zinfandel! Dashe.

Analysis: Nailed it
Score: 0 misses

1/25/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Ungrafted w/ Andrea (Ungrafted, SF): (blind)
Pale straw
dry, highly terpenic. Orange oil. High-toned terpenes.
Good quality. No bitterness. Elevated acid.

This feels like textbook Muscat.
Could be Torrontes - too high quality, high-toned terpenes (almost some white pepper).
Could be viognier - alcohol is too low (feels 13%).

Age? Terpenes are still fresh - so recent release.

Final call:

2022 Muscat, Alsace.
Actually: Torrontes - dos minas 2022

Analysis: Sound overall - no major misses. Maybe some calibration on quality and acid?
Score: 0 misses

1/25/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Ungrafted w/ Andrea (Ungrafted, SF): (blind)
Pale straw

Quite sweet - 15-20g/L
Neutral nose - some pear. Some oxidation.

Medium plus acid. 13% alcohol (actually 13.5%). Low phenolic bitterness.

Quite nice.

What has RS and not high acid?

Pinot Gris, Alsace, with a little age, 2019.

Something vaguely peppery on the nose? Would suggest Smaragd gruner which usually doesn't have RS.

Actually: 2020 Pinot Gris
Analysis: pretty solid!
Score: 0 misses

1/25/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Ungrafted w/ Andrea (Ungrafted, SF): (blind)
Pale straw. Reductive - slight plastic / rubber. Neutral nose.
Dry. Medium-minus body
12% alcohol
High acid - feels like malic
slight bitterness - maybe slight phenolics

Neutral high-acid:
- Riesling
- Chablis
- Muscadet

It seems to have some faint mid-palate apple - underripe peach even. Weird.

Final call: light and aggressive malic -> Muscadet, 2022
Actually: Gruner

Analysis: Still don't taste herbaceousness, but it's slightly bitter so Gruner should have been on my laterals. That's a logic miss.
Score: -1

1/20/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

W kwin and nina and salmon. Fresh, crisp, slightly honeyed. Lovely.

1/18/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Min and Ha dinner.
Brett. Slight mushroom. Slight burnt toast reduction. Light body. Kinda thin on the finish. Yeast. Marmite. Stewed green peppers. Medium papery tannins. Very mushroomy and kinda dried out. Missing fruit at this point. Medium acid. Elevated alcohol. Very interesting! Savory.

1/18/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

W Min and Ha. Stewed bell pepper. Blackcurrant. Tamari. Full body. Medium plus tannins. Medium plus acid. Excellent depth and tertiary umami.

1/9/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

w/ kerzhner, leeann, aaron, at KINK Berlin.
Fantastically open! expressive savory fruit with an underlying hint of musarian brett, oxidation, VA. It was much more expressive than the last bottle.

1/14/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

W/ Ben and Suz.

Light watermelon and berry. Fresh and crisp. Medium minus body, Medium plus acid. Nice density of flavor. Delightful!

1/4/2024 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Slight RS, 11.5% alcohol. Med + acid, slight lime aromatics, hint of petrol. Recognizably Riesling and quite nice at €6!

W/ the family, kebabs at the Meridian Hamburg.

12/31/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

2022 Maybach Riesling Trocken, Rheinhessen. 11% alcohol. €1.49 / 250ml
New year’s dinner, Leipzig.
Light aromatics of candied lime. Medium body. Light sweetness (maybe 10-15g), light bitterness, med plus acid. Slight overripe Meyer lemon flavors on the midpalate. Perfectly serviceable.

12/21/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Kink Berlin w/ Scott, Christophe, Anne (Kink, Berlin): Corked

12/21/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Kink Berlin w/ Scott, Christophe, Anne (Kink, Berlin): Medium body. Mushroom, cranberry, cherry. Mediumnplus acid. Medium tannins (a bit papery, bitter, compared with the ‘16 Musar). Maybe in an inflection point?

12/21/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Kink Berlin w/ Scott, Christophe, Anne (Kink, Berlin): @Kink Berlin
Deep, aromatic cassis. Rich. Fairly primary. Silky finish. Medium plus body, med plus alcohol, med plus acid, medium tannins. No decant. Delicious, if not in a place where it’s showing complexity.

12/1/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Rosemary and Pine w/ the parents (Rosemary & Pine, SF): savory, slightly vegetal, dry, elevated acid, mild bitterness. Light body. Not super aromatic - missing some terpenes. Pleasant but relatively neutral and short.

12/1/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Rosemary and Pine w/ the parents (Rosemary & Pine, SF): Slight nectarine, good med + acid, Don't recall much bitterness. Nice fruit on the nose. Medium weight on the palate - nice texture.

43% Vermentino, 30% Fiano, 16% Biancolella and 11% Falanghina, fermented and aged in concrete and stainless steel tanks with no malo-lactic to preserve freshness and acidity.

ACIDITY:6.1 g/L
pH :3.40
ALCOHOL: 13.4%

12/4/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Mission Bay Wine and Cheese (Mission Bay Wine and Cheese): Deep ruby.
Ripe fruit liqueur. Black fruit.
Full-bodied, 14.5% alcohol, cherry syrup. Lots of new oak. elevated acid and tannins.
With this much oak and elevated structure, it's probably New World Cabernet.

Laterals:
- new world Merlot - too structured
- Paso cab: would be riper, less structured.
- sonoma cab: would be leaner, maybe greener?
- Washington cab: not this much oak?
Final call: Napa Cabernet 2018.

Actual: 2019 Baldassari Syrah, Benett Valley, Sonoma County. - NON-CLASSIC
Tasting it again - it has so much oak and ripeness, I don't know how I'd go against Cab. Maybe if I pay attention to the fruit character...but there's so much oak!

From a retailer's site: Fermentation with native yeast for 22 days, in open-top fermentors (20% whole cluster). Aged in French oak barrels, 20% new.

This feels not too far from classic, but I don't hate my call. I'm puzzled as to how 20% new oak feels so overpowering!

12/4/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Mission Bay Wine and Cheese (Mission Bay Wine and Cheese): Medium minus ruby - ruby rim.
Some age (tamari tertiary and balsamic / VA notes). Some slight raisinated fruit. Some savory tomato. Slight funk and slight oxidation.
Medium-minus body. Elevated alcohol - 14%. High tannins. Chewy. Medium plus acid.

Barolo or Barbaresco. This feels a little sluggish acid-wise, but otherwise has plenty of development.
Langhe nebbiolo - wouldn't have this much tertiary development.
Etna rosso - would have lower alcohol, tannins, and higher acid.
Brunello - higher acid.
Final guess: 2018 Nebbiolo - Barbaresco
But it has some white pepper - could totally be Etna Rosso.

Actually: 2021 Kompassus - Baga / Touriga nacional, Bairrada, Portugal. - NON-CLASSIC
This is an exceptionally light Bairrada, according to the proprietor. Rather peppery. Not sure how I'd get to Bairrada. On tasting it warm - feels like etna rosso. No major miss.

12/4/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Mission Bay Wine and Cheese (Mission Bay Wine and Cheese): Pale yellow. Dry. Noble reduction and new French oak on the nose.
Slight frizzante (?)
Light body.
12% alcohol.
High acid. Slightly bitter at the end.

Laterals:
- Chardonnay - reductive style, french - Burgundy.
- Hunter Semillon with age.
- Slightly oaked Chenin.

Maybe: 2020 Chardonnay, Burgundy, chablis, premier cru.

Tasting it again: Noble reduction, but no oak, and high alcohol.

Final call: 2017 Hunter Semillon.

Actually: 2021 Curatolo Arini, Catarrato (grape), Sicily, Italy. - NON-CLASSIC
Whoah - never had this before. Super reductive and very high acid with no bitterness. I think alcohol (as it warms up), is medium - 12%.
Interesting. Pretty good and refreshing. Learning: I had to let it warm up to distinguish oak from noble reduction.

Miss: Alcohol is higher - probably12-12.5%. I think I really wanted it to be Hunter Semillon.

From a retailer site: Made from 100% organically farmed Catarratto, handpicked in early September. The grapes were destemmed and saw a cold maceration on the skins for several hours, followed by soft pressing and fermentation in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks; it was aged *sur lies* for 50 days prior to bottling.

12/4/2023 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

[0.5] Blinds at Mission Bay Wine and Cheese (Mission Bay Wine and Cheese): Pale yellow.
Slight RS - maybe 15g/L.
Slightly candied lime and underripe nectarine (terpenes) on the nose.
It's really reminding me of Riesling, though i don't get overt TDN
Slight reduction on the nose as well.
Light body - 11% alcohol (actually 12.5%)
High-minus acid (probably medium plus acid - it's not very tart).

This feels like either a warmer-climate imitation of a Kabinett riesling or a warm vintage.

Final Call: 2020 Riesling, Mosel, Kabinett.

Actually: Alsace Riesling blend: 2022 Meyer-Fonne (probably the Gentil - Riesling + Muscat + Pinot Blanc - NON-CLASSIC
The blend explains the lower acid and higher ripeness / terpenes.

1 sensory miss: Alcohol - it's actually 12%

50% Riesling, 25% Muscat, 20% Pinot Blanc, 5% Sylvaner and Pinot Gris

Now that I know what it is: It's a perfectly fine field blend, but I'd want more complexity, more acid, and more length for this style.