Had a group over last night for a blind tasting. Each couple brought 2 bottles at different price points - over $70 and under $30. I tried to do this as “correctly” as possible - we double decanted, used appropriate palate cleansers, etc
Most of this group drinks wine routinely, and usually not real cheap stuff - so we all thought we would be able to differentiate expensive from cheap (although realizing that expensive does not ALWAYS mean better)
I had everyone rank them, and then added the scores, so a low total score was the best (most #1 & #2). Ranking is from left to right in the pic.
the Pott was the run away #1 - almost everyone had it as their first or second choice. Scores got much closer after that. (I was disappointed that my “expensive” contribution came in last - the $150 Myriad single vineyard cab. It was last on my individual scoresheet as well.) It was kind of funny that two of the couples picked up the same “cheap” cab at the winestore, hence two bottles of Bonanza. My “cheap” entry was De Negoce #68 - it scored right with the Cakebread cab. I’ll post the pinot in a different thread - that result was even more amusing.
Somebody questioned whether the myriad was an off bottle / did you or anyone else perceive it as such? And what did your tasting notes say about the bottle before you uncovered it? Curious to see…
I didn’t smell or taste anything that would lead me to believe the Myriad was a problem bottle - but I’m far from an expert at this. It had almost no aroma at all. (Was in a decanter for 2 hours, then poured back in the bottle and served about 8 hours later, which I think should be adequate decanting.) Very harsh/poorly integrated tannins.
I’ve got a couple more bottles of this - I’m hoping they improve to my palate with more age…
Mikko,
Exactly. Wet cardboard is the clearest manifestation of TCA. However, the absence of fruit and aroma can be TCA, the drinker gets tannins and acidity. Thinking, hmmm, just needs more “air”. Wine just never comes around.
I’m also a huge fan of blind-tastings. So I’m curious why did you double-decant the bottles? Some wines won’t survive that - in my experience - even the pricey ones. The wines that don’t have heavy tannins will struggle to live up to the price tag. Btw- I’ve never been to a blind tasting that has decanted their wines.
Personal note: The other night I opened a 2016 Chateau Cote de Baleau. It was fruity, red fruit forward with a beautiful nose but the finish was like licking a chalkboard. Rough! We decanted it for 2.5 hours and finally it was balanced. Had enough tannins to set for another 5-10 years.
We always double decant in our blind tastings. Not a single bottle has ever suffered. If anything they have benefited. Most of these are between 5-15 years old, so relatively young.
It’s been wide ranging but never anything beyond lighter bites. Some Mediterranean stuff, some canapés, some cheeses and things. Basically the point is to focus on the tasting aspect and then focus the rest of the energy on trying to be interesting as humans!
