Our Monday night blind wine dinner group met once again to share some fun time, food, wine education and fellowship together at our usual venue, Ca Dario Montecito.
One of us was assigned to bring a bubbly, another a white wine and the other 2, red wines. This broad theme allows us to have to expand our perceptions to even getting a sparkling wine versus a Champagne and the varietal{s} of the whites and reds, a tough task in many instances as we have been finding out over the last 2+ years.
Here’s the results of the wines:
We started out with a bubbly and when it came time to reveal the bottle, I immediately thought of the 5 worst wine buys I’ve ever made. They were pretty, pretty bottles full of severely oxidized, undrinkable champagne purchased over a few years in the 1990s at exorbitant prices = $100- 500. I’m was a slow leaner then.
2000 TAITTINGER CHAMPAGNE ARTIST COLLECTION RAUSCHENBERG- blind; the color was pure gold and the nose offered ginger accented yellow apple and we are off to a great start; once tasted, it became obvious this had some age on it and was perhaps oxidative, but not oxidized; I found some licorice, fennel, peppermint and black pepper which was so mindful of many bottles of Piper-Heisdsieck Rare and I immediately thought of the 2002 and one bottle of an older Charles Heidsieck which also had some of that similar character; this had some richness, but little acidity and an under expressed mousse; it was comprised of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay and released in 2007.
Here’s some information from the house re the entire Collection series which was initiated in 1983 with 12 other designated vintages, 2008 being the last one which was released in 2016 if I have that correct:
“The Taittinger Collection Series was conceived in the late 1970s by Claude Taittinger. Long a patron of the arts, with a passionate interest in the modern schools of painting and sculpture, he perceived a natural alliance between the creation of the artist and the art of the great winemaker. Thus, in 1983, Champagne Taittinger introduced the first of its revolutionary Collection Series, uniting art and Champagne in the design of a special bottle with a laser-sealed sheath that visually expresses the artist’s concept of the magic of Champagne. Featuring the work of artists such as the French surrealist André Masson, American pop artist Robert Rauschenberg, and more recently the renowned Senegalese painter Amadou Sow, these exquisite bottles are commissioned well into the 21st century, and will perpetuate Champagne Taittinger’s affiliation with the greatest artists of our time.
The Taittinger Collection Series bottles are released only in great vintages, from a selection of the year’s finest cuvées. The wines are made from Chardonnay mainly from the Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs, and Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne vineyards. The fruit is pressed in the vineyards and the first pressing is transported to the Taittinger Champagne Artist Collection winery for fermentation, followed by a second fermentation in the bottle. Aged for five or more years on the lees, the wine acquires complexity and the fine, pinpoint bubbles characteristic of its sparkle.”
The 5 pretty bottles I have are:
1978 Taittinger Champagne Artist Collection Vasarely- the debut vintage, 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; released in 1983, art by Victor Vasarely from Hungary.
1981 Taittinger Champagne Artist Collection Arman- 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; released in 1985, US artist Arman.
1982 Taittinger Champagne Artist Collection Andre Masson- 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; released in 1987;
1986 Taittinger Champagne Artist Collection Hans Hartung- - 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; released in 1992
1992 Taittinger Champagne Artist Collection Roberto Matta- 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay; released in 1998
For more info, see: The Taittinger Collection: 1983-2016 - Buy Champagne same day 3 hour delivery
2019 RIDGE VINEYARDS MONTE BELLO ESTATE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS CHARDONNAY- tasted blind and needing more chill; it had a clear, clean yellow color and a nose full of yellow apple with some lemon and pear support and a touch of mineral and flint in the background; once tasted, it was honey coated, creamy smooth and simple a lovely oak integrated wine that seemed to be a fine new world Chardonnay that had elegance and charm.
It was whole cluster pressed and fermented and aged 15 months in barrel of which 87% was dried American oak and 13% was French oak aged from 1 to 5 years and 30% in stainless steel.
2010 FATTORIA Le PUPILLE {ELISABETTA GEPETTI} SAFFREDI MAREMMA TOSCANA IGT- blind; this is the winery’s flagship wine and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot; decanted over 5 hours; it had a dark purple color and aromas that strongly suggested a Bordeaux blend, but for some reason, I went immediately to Italy and Super Tuscan as opposed to Bordeaux or new world; the first note in the inviting nose was of milk chocolate, then leather followed by dark fruit with black current most prominent; on the palate, I got more of the same along with a nice accent of cedar and spice plus some blackberry and plum; it was full bodied with layered complexity and finished a bit dry; the wine just reeked of class and I stuck with my intuitive Super Tuscan guess after going through the usual doubting process and hearing others thoughts.
2010 MONTGOMERY CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY- poured for the others blind and brought as at least one member knows the local couple whose wine this came from; decanted over 5 hours although it still went through some additional stages over an hour in the glass; following its dark, inky, red purple color came cedar and eucalyptus accented black currant, blackberry and plum on the nose and palate; it was full bodied with depth and complexity and had an impressive finish with everything coming together nicely and suggestive of a bright future.
This is the first release from this family’s estate 7 acre vineyard who happen to be wonderful people whose primary home is in Santa Barbara and have a home in Calistoga where the vineyard was planted in 2004; there were only about 300 cases made by winemaker, Robbie Meyer; this was my 4th bottle of this vintage and all have been excellent albeit still in their youthful state with a soft tannic backbone which promises to ensure even better outcomes down the line, say another 15+ years.
How wonderful this night was. One of our 5 members was out of the country and one had just returned for a short visit before going back to his new, out of state residence.
As always, we all learn a lot and delight in the sharing of the wines and the learning process, as humbling as it is especially in a blind format.
Cheers,
Blake
Thanks for taking us on that Journey!