Five of us gathered for lunch Dec. 26 at Peking Duck House in Chinatown. Pinot from anywhere, identity concealed. After tasting through the lineup twice the wrappings were removed to reveal:
Littorai Savoy Vineyard 2009
Shea Wine Cellars Shea Vineyard Block 23 2012
Marcassin Blue-Slide Ridge Vineyard 2006
Kokomo Peters Vineyard Winemaker’s Reserve 2011
Alain Hudelot-Noellat Les Beaumonts Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru 2011.
The unanimous choice was the Kokomo. One taster remarked: “It’s the complete package.” Another said, “If we drank these with the labels showing, the Kokomo would not be the group favorite.”
I liked all the wines, with the Vosne-Romanee my close second. The Kokomo was $48 on release. I purchased it through the wine club so my cost was $41. Good food, good fun and a lesson in humility.
Blind tasting is always a lesson in humility. It is also amazing how what you are ‘supposed’ to like can so screw with your palate…the wonders of pre-conceived notions.
It was a great time. Definitely humbling. The Kokomo was pretty awesome. I pinned the Vosne-Romanee as French. Save for a bit of funk it could tie with my number 2 with the Savoy, depending on the moment. Most shocking was the Marcassin. The Shea was very nice and very New World. Great time.
Eric–the founder is from Kokomo, Indiana. They make several Zins, a couple of Pinots, Petite Sirah and Merlot. The Merlot is surprisingly good, Zins are good to excellent and the Pinots are first class. They also make a couple of whites and the occasional Malbec and Carignan. The only wine that disappointed me was their Petite Sirah which I found sweet. Perhaps I drank it too young. The wines are well balanced, expressive, alcohol is under control, and the prices are fair. Good customer service–I had one problem and the resolution was rapid and more than satisfactory. They received some positive attention on this board a couple of years ago, but, as you illustrate, they remain relatively unknown. They deserve more attention . . .
I guess when you taste blind there is always a certain ‘shock’ once revealed. It was a good wine. just not 5x as good as the Kokomo, nor was it 75% as good!
