TN: Evolving note on mystery wine...Revealed

For fun, I asked my wife to grab any bottle from the cellar, and blind me on it.

First thoughts upon opening - lots of tobacco on the nose. Palate isn’t showing much fruit, but lots of depth, and a clear mineral streak on the back end. Green note in there as well, but not overpowering. Going to pop this in a decanter so that it can open up more.

More updates later.

Wine revealed later tonight, or maybe tomorrow - whenever my wife decides to tear the aluminum foil off of the bottle.

Fun idea. Two fun things for you to post about (before the reveal) would be perceived abv and also how much you think the wine costs.

Abv - 12%

Cost…not sure yet. Too much left to decide.

That’ll be interesting. Preliminary guess: Graves

Loire red

2011 Baudry Chinon Franc de Pied.

Tobacco and green notes still dominant. It’s not at all unpleasant, as the wine is in no way angular, but I wish there was more fruit.

It’s definitely old world, and I am also thinking Loire. Seems very much Cabernet Franc.

I only have a handful of Loire red wine producers in my cellar, so at least I have a fighting chance.

Yeah, I thought Chinon/Saumur as well. Another thought might a be a closed down Rioja.

Two hours in, and the wine has not budged. It’s frankly tiring at this point.

One of your young Baudry ?

Cool year Sociando Mallet?

Rougeard clos bottling…

Haha…I did a test run in this for my wife to see what she would pick…she said “you had a bunch of these” so that’s what I went by…it was “going to be” a DRC RSV! Although I think this would totally be fun…this is what I fear!

Where’s the color on this?

Actually, this was my other choice, cool year, young, Sociando. You would swear it has a lot more cab franc, but it doesn’t.

Quite red. No fading.

That’s my guess as well. We’ll see tomorrow.

Are you able to tell whether the bottle is a Bordeaux shape or Burgundy shape?

Sociando not normally tobacco, more like bell pepper, but a green note was mentioned as well. And not normally showing little fruit (very different from the 2000, for example). Could be the 1996 I suppose, which had this leaner profile

But I will go with the Loire red based on the later notes in particular, no relaxing of the fruit profile. Clos Rougeard or Joguet (doesn’t strike me as a Baudry, which always seemed more generous to me)…

That’s cheating. (which is a treasured blind tasting technique of mine.)