Our Monday Night Blind Wine Dinner Group had another humbling evening trying to identify a few wines while tracking each of the 5 for over an hour or more.
Four of us were pre-assigned brings with the usual 1 bubbly, 1 white and 2 reds; however, I brought 2 champagnes after shaming myself for bringing the first one.
My better half has rarely purchased wine on her own, but when she does, it is usually a good QPR from Trader Joes or Costco and one that I probably would not have purchased, but always have liked.
A year or so ago, she bought a Kirkland champagne from Costco and we had it at home and I had to admit, it was pretty decent. Since then, I had been harboring the idea of blind tasting the group with one of their champagnes and chose this night to do so. Since it cost $20 and most of the wines we take are valued much higher, I threw in a Cristal and advised the others to bring an extra sparkling wine glass.
I poured both blind for the others since the clear glass of the Cristal was a dead giveaway. It was somewhat humorous to hear the table talk while the others kept tasting and comparing and it seemed the Kirkland was much more preferred, but not recognized by some as a Brut and calling it a recent vintage new world sparkling wine. I was sort of laughing to myself, but realizing I have not been doing so well with wine identification of late which was even more evident in the flight of the 2 reds.
Here’s some notes:
NV KIRKLAND SIGNATURE BRUT- poured blind for the others; this is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sourced from the grand cru village of Verzenay; it spent at least 15 months on the lees and was made by Manuel Janisson who also makes champagne under his own label, Champagne Janisson; the color was a very light yellow suggesting a kind of wimpy wine here, but that was quickly dispelled when exploring the aromas which included some rich citrus and honey dew melon notes with a biscuity accent; the initial taste turned up a definite black pepper note that reminded me of Piper Heidsieck Rare although that is where the comparison ended; this had a frothy, cotton candy like mousse and a bit of an unexpected lemon flavored acidic finish; I found it to be very pleasant and certainly drinkable and as Roelanda would remind, a good QPR.
Our pH meter geek got a 3.0 reading.
2006 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL- served blind to the others and compared blind with a NV Kirkland Brut; initially this seemed fragmented and each and every note was separate from the rest; following its mid yellow color came a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors including honeyed white peach, apricot, lemon and orange zest delivered in a super creamy texture with a bit of weight; it was big, rich and fully loaded albeit in this somewhat fractured manner with everything coming one note at a time; about 45 minutes later, I re-visited and it was an entirely different champagne that had marinated, melded and blended and now was expressing as one complete, harmonious, balanced beauty; it was truly amazing how much it had improved and another in our group noticed the same thing; we then talked about the advantage that we have with this group in being able to hang out with wines for a lot longer than what we are afforded at most other wine related dinners and follow them as they go though their transition once exposed to air and temperature change as well as our palate changes.
pH= 2.94
2020 HUBERT LAMAY EN REMILLY SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru- blind; this had a light yellow green color and nice inviting aromas of mellow and spicy citrus and yellow apple that was joined on the palate by a streak of minerals and a dose of petrol; it had super integrated oak, a smooth and creamy mouthfeel and a grand finish that sealed the deal on this marvelous wine; knowing the one who bought it and that this seemed clearly to be white Burgundy, my first thought was it was a PYCM and since he hid the bottle and poured it for us, thankfully, we were not able to see the telltale white wax capsule they employ; of course, as it turned out, it was not PYCM, but it did come from one of their most treasured vineyard sources. Lamy was a consideration because I remembered how super soft and creamy their wines are and I threw it out at the last minute before we revealed the label {nothing really to boost about, but hey, I got the region}. pH= 3.05
2016 DUTTON ESTATE MANZANA VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- blind; this comes from a vineyard located in the heart of Green Valley, a sub-appellation of the RRV known for its cool temperatures; it was planted to Clones “828,” and 115 in 2001 and has Goldridge sandy loam soils; this wine was 100% de-stemmed, cold soaked, open top fermented and aged 10 months in French oak barrels, 33% new; the color was a youthful deep dark red purple and the nose offered a very fruit forward profile with talc accented red raspberry and red cherry most prominent in that order and continuing on to the back end once tasted; after 30+ minutes, it balanced out somewhat and as such was much better and more approachable; it had a smooth texture and an underlying cut of acidity; I had it as a new world Pinot from a vintage range of 2015-18 and then got more specific calling it from Santa Barbara County from Au Bon Climat or San Luis Obispo County thinking it might be from Talley. pH= 3.5
2007 GIUSEPPE MASCARELLO E FIGLIO MONPRIVATO BAROLO- blind; the medium red purple color with more red than purple suggested some age {more than the vintage indicates} and the nose seemed to confirm it with dried wild cranberry/ red cherry notes with a touch of black cherry in the background; I’m thinking this is a really good red Burgundy at this point and everything that followed supported it; the taste profile included spicy red and black raspberry and more red cherry, still with that wild character; it had a soft and smooth texture, was big and full bodied, but with loads of grace and charm; this was a very impressive wine and a great red Burgundy- opps! This is not the first time I’ve been fooled by a Piedmonte Nebbiolo, in fact, there’s been quite a few just this year that I’ve miscalled. ph= 3.12
When I looked up the wine, I read “the Mascarello family has some of Piedmont’s greatest terroirs, including Monprivato (often called “the Musigny of Barolo”).”
Well, I did not have this as Musigny calling it a 2000 Clos Vougeot from Lucien Le Moine. Another member had it as a Grand Cru red Burg as well. My last thought: “Won’t get fooled again” as sung by the Who, at least until next week.
Cheers,
Blake
