Our Monday Night Blind Wine Dinner Group enjoyed another fun and educational evening as we had all 5 of our local members in attendance and the usual balanced theme for one bubbly, 2 white and 2 red wines.
There were some very challenging tasks ahead as it turned out as some of the wines were first ever exposures for most of us. I had difficulty getting the varietal as well as whether the wine was new or old world and even guessing the vintages. Here’s some notes:
2008 PHILIPPONAT CLOS des GOISSES EXTRA BRUT- my bring served blind to the others; this is comprised of 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir sourced from the estate’s esteemed, chalky and steep 45 degree vineyard overlooking the Marne River, a beautiful site I’ve experienced while catching my breath; at least 75% is vilified in oak; it was disgorged 9/17, dosed at 4.5 gpl and saw no ML; its full on yellow color was initially followed by fragmented, but enticing aromas of yellow peach, apricot, honeysuckle and ginger; on the palate, additional notes of orange marmalade and honeyed yellow apple joined in while being delivered in a super rich, creamy texture; it had so much power, richness, energy and thrust and after about 15 minutes, each of the individual notes seemed to become homogenized with all of the others and it became one big huge, glamorous statement typical of the 2008 vintage; there was just enough finesse to ease it off a little, but this was still a big boy and more so than any other Clos des Gooses I’ve ever had; the others members were all over the vintage, but had it as a BdB with a much higher dosage and guesses for 2006 or 2008 Taittinger Comtes.
2017 DOMAINE LAFLAIVE PULIGNY-MONTRACHET- blind; the color was light yellow and made cloudy by the high chill on the wine which also served to mute some of the aromas and tastes until at least 15-20 minutes in the glass held in warm hands; I sensed it was a well made wine and kept searching for more definitive notes and finally found some in the form of fresh white flowers, pear, white peach and honey dew melon with a bit of oak spice and streak of minerals; later on some licorice notes came in and I’m not sure what this is or where it comes from and finally landed on S. Rhone with Marsanne and maybe some Roussanne in it.
2021 MACON-PIERRECLE 2eme VENDANGE de CHAVIGNE DOMAINE GUFFENS-HEYNEN- blind; sources say the fruit was sourced “from a second picking some 3 weeks later of second-generation fruit that had attained full maturity, along with the very early stages of botrytis (when the berries turn rose-coloured but before they begin to degrade and shrivel), known in Mâconnais parlance as “levrouté;” it was medium bodied featuring white flower aromas and tastes of honeyed apple with pine needles and licorice in the background; it had an oily texture and was another difficult ID and I went back to S. Rhone or over to Loire and concluded it was Chenin Blanc.
I’m afraid I started something when I brought a NV Kirkland Brut to our blind format a few months ago. I shamed myself into also bringing a Cristal and when both were tasted blind side by side, the group, much to our amazement, preferred the Kirkland. Now we get another surprisingly good Costco deal that comes in below the $10 mark {the brut was ~ $18}:
2022 KIRKLAND SIGNATURE BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR- blind; 70% Cabernet Sauvignion, 30% Merlot aged 12 months in oak barrels; it had a red purple color and a very fruit forward nose and taste profile with jujube {red cherry} and black cherry most prominent and a pleasant accent of talc representing the oak influence; it had a smooth mouthfeel and never did balance out after an hour in the glass, but it remained tasty and relevant; I had it as a young Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and not from Kirkland.
2000 PRODUTTORI del BARBARESCO RABAJA RISERVA- blind; following its light red purple color came aromas of wild fresh berry fruit with loads of spice and charm; toasty black currant was more prevalent on the palate as was its tannin backbone as it finished quite dry; I first had it as a Bordeaux blend from Napa, but then thought it might be Left Bank; I’ve learned to almost always include Nebbiolo in my assessments, but failed to convince myself this time.
For me, this was another night of missing varietals, vintages and even old world vs new world as the learning process goes on amidst humility and the continued yearn to learn. I appreciate my buds for providing a space that is conducive for this and for joining in an playing in this game that challenges us way beyond our comfort zone.
Cheers,
Blake
