We had a small turnout, but a large, highly energetic, enthusiastic threesome for our Monday Night Blind Wine Dinner Group on a recent occasion.
With one assigned to bring a bubbly, another to bring a white wine and me a red, we tasted through them with some detailed discussion for over a couple of hours while feasting on some of the numerous delectables served by our venue of choice, Ca Dario Montectio.
All 3 of the wines showed really good and for me, it was a struggle to ID the champagne and white Burgundy with much detail, but one did call the Burgundy down to the vintage, producer and commune.
Here’s some notes:
NV RUINART BLANC de BLANC BRUT- blind; following its light yellow color came nice and fresh aromas of citrus fruit with lemon and lime most prevalent; the taste profile was made up mostly of the same plus some white nectarine, a coat of honey and mild accent of ginger; it was medium bodied with just a little weight and as such, was elegant and charming; there was just enough acidity and an overall appeal to make this a clear winner; I had it as a vintage BdB champagne from 2013 or 2015 thinking it might be a Taittinger Comtes in its youthful state.
The fruit is sourced from 25–30 different chardonnay crus, predominantly from the Côte des Blancs, the Montagne de Reims, the Sézannais and La Vallée de la Vesle including 20–30% reserve wine kept from a range of vintages; it was fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, aged 2-3 years in the cellars, went through 100% ML and dosed a 7gpl.
2019 DOMAINE LEFLAIVE PULIGNY-MONTRACHET- blind; this was stupendous in every way; the color was light yellow and the nose offered wondrous aromas of spiced and honeyed yellow apple that received an infusion of chalk and minerals on the palate; it was a mouthful of splendor and seemed to gain momentum over time moving from outstanding to the highest degree of excellence; it was enhanced by the now fully integrated oak {it was aged in 15% new oak} and its amazing balance at this early stage; I new it was a quality white Burgundy, first calling it Batard, but this was not as big and powerful so I moved on and never came up with anything close; one other nailed it down to the vintage, commune and producer. Impressive. Some of our group are shining brightly.
One of the biggest Los Angeles Dodger fans ever is my good friend, Bob Lindquist. After spending a fun day with him the day before at a Dodger game in LA, I thought it appropriate to pull one of his wines for this occasion.
2008 QUPE BIEN NACIDO VINEYARD X BLOCK “THE GOOD NACIDO” SANTA MARIA VALLEY SYRAH- poured blind for the others; decanted 5 hours with an occasional gentle swirling; the color was a super serious inky dark red purple and the nose included wondrous fresh, ripe, spicy and peppery blueberry that gave way to the pure essence of blackberry; the taste profile also included some delicious black cherry and black raspberry and a sandalwood accent; this was full bodied with layered depth and massive complexity yet it had lots of finesse and charm to balance it out; it is structured to go for the long run and my best guess is it has another 10-15 years to go before reaching its apogee; the label was designed by owner/ winemaker Bob Lindquist and he additionally dedicated this release to being a tribute to Jim Clendenen {Au Bon Climat} by adding to the label with “20 years in the shed with Jim”; this was a sequel to a 2008 ABC Pinot Noir release Jim made calling it “20 years in the shed with Bob at Bien Nacido”.
In a bind format, I can see that this would be tough ID and, in this case, the others were calling it Spanish or Super Tuscan or even Right Bank Bordeaux although the pepper accent suggested Northern Rhone and removed it from those regions. Obviously, it was a big surprise to discover what it was which led to more approval and adoration.
Cheers,
Blake
