Our Monday Night Blind Wine Dinner Group met once again at our venue of choice, Ca Dario Montecito and enjoyed our usual wine theme which was to have a sparkling wine, a white and 2 reds.
Also as usual, there were some challenging identifications for all of us to make and we had another learning experience albeit with some laughs, humility and levity. Here’s some notes:
2012 BOLLINGER LA GRANDE ANNEE- blind; this is an assembly of 21 crus, mostly in Aÿ and Verzenay for the 65% Pinot Noir and in Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry for the 35% Chardonnay; fermentation takes place entirely in oak barrels and the wine is aged, sealed with a natural cork, for over twice as long as required by the appellation regulations; it was disgorged 7/19 and dosed at 8 gpl.
Our bottle had a deceiving light yellow color and the nose first had some wet cardboard that strongly suggested TCA, but I hesitated to share it; on the palate, advanced notes of caramel, butterscotch, ginger, honey dew melon, bruised apple, tangerine, nectarine and almond butter were most prevalent along with more of the wet card board; it was big and rich and obviously very advanced and after learning the vintage, I’d almost say it was slightly pre-moxed; we waited for 35+ minutes to see if any of the possible flaw character blew off and it did not; at 60 minutes, it was clear to me our bottle was definitely corked; once revealed, it was apparent that the bigger Bollie style with extended less contact and longer exposure to air and oak influence contributed to much of the findings; I had it as a 1998-2000 vintage champagne Brut with more Pinot Noir than Chardonnay dosed at about 8 gpl.
2017 MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS ESTATE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS CHARDONNAY- blind; following its yellow gold color came aromas of mint, vanilla, oak chips and butter accented yellow apple; it had a creamy smooth texture, was nicely balanced and gave generously throughout; I really liked this wine and like the other members, called it a new world Chardonnay, more specifically, I went with it being a 2015 Chateau Montelena.
2017 MORAGE RED BEL AIR- blind; there is this magical small vineyard just off the I 405 in LA in Bel Air across from the Getty Museum that has been highly acclaimed for many years especially on the local scene and more in particular because it was owned by Rupert Murdoch; I have a bottle and have often thought to bring it to this group, but another beat me to it on this night; the vineyard consists of 6.9 planted acres on the 14-acre property: 4.3 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.2 acres of Merlot, 1/10 of an acre of Petite Verdot, 1/10 of an acre of Cabernet Franc and slightly over 1 acre of Sauvignon Blanc {The Vineyard – Moraga Bel Air}.
Our bottle was stupendous; the color was a dark, almost inky red purple with a red rim and the mellow nose included aromas of spice and cedar accented red cherry/ berry which was joined by some ripe blueberry and milk chocolate on the palate with an even bigger hit of spice; it seemed young and vibrant and super appealing on all levels and had a smooth mouthfeel and lasting finish; I was not sure if this was my wine or not, but I knew my bring had mostly Merlot and Cab in it and this could be it as it definitely emulated some form of a Bordeaux blend. Wrong again and I had 50/50 chance.
2014 TENUTA SETTE PONTI ORENO TOSCANA- blind; my bring, not recognized, decanted for over 3 hours; 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot; this had a red purple color with a browning rim, but no aging notes; the nose offered wondrous aromas of sandalwood, talc and milk chocolate covered red currant and red plum; the taste profile also included some sweet black cherry and blueberry; it had a silky smooth texture which glided the goodness to the back end where it finished with everything coming together; the others struggled to ID this wine as we all did on most of the wines on the night. There’s so much more to learn and we’re committed to and loving the process.
Cheers,
Blake
