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Sacred Cow
Wine Thief
Posts:2764
 | | 03/06/2006 3:30 AM |
| The tasting was held at the home of FreeTheGrapes. Last year, we explored the regions of France on a (more or less) monthly basis. This year, the monthly tastings are to explore a given varietal from around the world. All wines are tasted double blind, in flights of three. Extra credit, of course, for those brave and/or dumb enough to try to guess the year, vintage, region, etc.
Flight 1 (all wines decanted about three hours before tasting):
1999 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie)
Animalistic, meaty and gamy on the nose. On the palate, blackberry, currant, and game meats, medium body with a medium/long, peppery finish where a little black cherry comes into play. A little bit rough, not quite integrated yet even after three hours in a decanter. 91 points.
OK, I need to brag here. Right out of the shoot, first wine, I guessed 1999 Cote Rotie.
1999 Spring Mountain Vineyard Syrah (USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District)
Definitely new world. Aromas of blueberry, vanilla and pepper. A smooth, medium bodied wine with blue and blackberries, leading to a persistent, spicy oak finish. Not very intense fruit and not particularly complex, this is not a long term wine but it is enjoyable in a hedonistic way. 89 points. Best guess I could come up with was "new world" though I leaned towards Aussie or maybe WA. Guessed 2001. We are back to humble pie mode.
1999 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm (Australia, South Australia, McLaren Vale)
Definitely new world, Aussie or warm climate CA. A floral, spicy, blackberry nose leads to a medium to full body, with intense blueberry, pepper, and a large dollop of oak tannins on a very persistent finish. While not my preferred style of shiraz, there is no doubting the quality of this wine. Tasted much younger than its age, hold my bottles for another two years minimum. 94 points. I guessed '01. Not bad though, count it a victory, and the crowds are screaming out in amazement!
Flight 2 (all wines decanted about four hours before tasting):
1999 E. Guigal Hermitage (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage)
Definitely Hermitage. Meaty, gamy, blackberry and floral notes on the nose. Elegant medium body, with blackberries, black cherry, roasted meats and earth, with an extra long, spicy finish. Not fully open yet, but definitely getting to an enjoyable stage. 90 points. My guess is 1999. Score another one for the pretender.
2003 Azienda Agricola Perazzeta (Italy, Montenaro d'Orcia)
Dark roasted blueberries and blackberries. Creamy from a heavy hand with the oak. Reminds me of some of the earlier '01 MP Shiraz I tried when they first came out. A bottle for the non-winos in the crowd. 84 points. My Aussie guess was way off.
2002 Fairview (Charles Back) Shiraz The Beacon (South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl)
Blueberries, floral notes, and copious oak on the nose. Full bodied, with blueberries and blackberries, a hint of tar, and long, drying tannins. A little bit of a green streak running through the middle concerns me. Needs some time, but not sure if it will come into balance or not. 87 points. I guessed '02 Washington. The crowds are turning against me.
Flight 3 (all wines decanted about five hours before tasting):
2002 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Rattlesnake Rock (USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains)
A spicy nose with roasted meats, blackberries and earth. Full bodied, with blackberries, tar, plum and meat, finishing with very long, drying tannins and a bit of earth. Beautiful wine, give it a few years. 92 points. I guessed '01 Napa.
2003 Casa Lapostolle Syrah Cuvée Alexandre (Chile, Valle Central, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley)
Leather, blackberries, raw meat and tobacco on the nose. On the medium frame, blackberries, leather, tobacco and coffee with cream, leading to a shortish finish with blackberry-infused coffee. A good wine, but the palate did not deliver the intensity of the nose. 89 points. I guessed '02 Aussie. The crowd is booing and hissing. But I don't see them sticking their neck out.
2003 Cayuse Syrah En Cerise (USA, Washington, Walla Walla Valley)
An animalistic nose, with meats, game and pepper. Northern Rhonish elements on the nose, moreso than most of the new world syrahs tasted this night. Blackberry and meats on the medium bodied frame, adding a little bit of black cherry on the long finish. Not quite as dense in fruit as many of the new world syrahs, but absolutely beautiful balance. A nice cross between the new world and old. 92 points. My guess of '01 Languedoc has the crowd laughing at me. Crowds can be a very fickle thing.
Flight 4 (all wines decanted about six hours before tasting):
2002 Pax Syrah Obsidian Vineyard (USA, California, Knights Valley)
Mint, floral and eucalyptus join red and blue fruits on the nose. On the palate, medium to full bodied, moving from blue to red fruits, turning sweet on the medium-long finish. Tannic, and a little too sweet, this would be tough to drink with food. 89 points. My guess of '00 McLaren Vale is widely ignored in favor of the taster of the moment. Screw him.
2003 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)
A nose of bacon, smoke, black currants and spice. Medium bodied, with black currants, blackberries, maybe a hint of blueberries, with a mineral note coming on the medium length finish. Very nice wine, should be drinking well in 2-3 years. 90 points. Nailed the '03 Crozes, but nobody heard me. I think I was being ignored.
2004 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M. (Australia, South Australia, McLaren Vale)
A cherry and blueberry nose that just screamed Aussie. On the palate, blueberries and cream of course, with some roasted meats and licorice to add interest. Full bodied, very intense and concentrated, the only small drawback was the dryness of the tannins on the very long finish. It could be very interesting to see how this develops, I hope some of the roasted meats and licorice come out more with additional age. If so, this can truly prove to be a classic wine. 95 points. I did not even bother to guess, but it was obvious it was Aussie.
As always, tasting blind like this is a challenge. At least I was not a weenie like most of the others. Crowds can be very fickle.
Often wrong, but rarely in doubt. Show any hesitation, and they are all over you.
Mike | | | |
| wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts:12003
| | 03/06/2006 2:44 PM |
| Sounds fun. You did a lot better that I would have done. I would have made a complete arse out of myself. | |
Joe
-----
Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
| stemor
Collierville, TN
Wine Thief
Posts:2813
| | 03/06/2006 3:34 PM |
| The tasting sounds like fun. The writeup certainly was!  | |
Cheers, y'all | |
| pizinah
Barrel Filler
Posts:1313
| | 03/06/2006 8:28 PM |
| Great tasting and writeup! Sounds like a lot of fun. I've tried and was a little less enthused about the Mitolo. The '02 Obsidian I haven't had in a while but I've had the '03 a couple times recently and really love it -- a fascinating wine.
Thanks for you notes. | | | |
| Winetex
Austin, Texas
Master of Wine
Posts:10573
| | 03/06/2006 10:33 PM |
| Thanks for the notes. Sounds like a mean crowd. So fickle. | | | |
| Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts:13660
| | 03/08/2006 2:24 PM |
| | Hey dude, excellent write up, I really enjoyed reading it. When I do blind tastings with friends and I stick my neck out, I am almost always wrong and I do make an arse out of myself. But it's still fun. | |
www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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