TN: The Blind Crew at Sundried Tomatoe Cafe

WINE TALK
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THE BLIND CREW AT SUNDRIED TOMATOE CAFE - Sundried Tomatoe Cafe, San Juan Capistrano (10/3/2009)

After a bumpy start the first go around the Blind Crew was roused a second go at the Sundried Tomatoe Cafe. The idea here is we have a group of about a dozen friends get together for a several course meal where with each course a member of the group brings 3-4 wines bagged up to pair with the food and we make asses of ourselves guessing at them. Frank Murray and Steve Nordhoff did the leg work here and set us up with a very good meal covering 4 courses plus dessert. It was a great time as always and plenty of us felt silly guessing at the wines.

All wines bagged with each course with the reveals coming around the time the food was served for each flight. The exception being the Sauternes with the dessert. The night’s contestants were me, Sean Kennedy, Chris Silkowski and Leslie Fisher in that order for wine flight responsibilities. I don’t know if I had one WOTN but several stand outs for me were the 03 Selbach, the 06 Copain, the 07 Melville, the 05 Switchback and the Suduiraut. Liked plenty of the other wines as well and there were plenty of surprises.

Thanks everyone. Great time as always!


1st Course
Pan Seared Jumbo Scallops with Orange Saffron sauce
Blackened Chicken Spring Rolls with Honey Cilantro sauce

This flight was my responsibility and for me the two dishes called for very different wines so I chose to go with two and two for types. I immediately thought Germany for the spring rolls with honey and cilantro which turned out to work very well since the sauce had a bit of a kick to it. I settled on Chardonnay for the scallops though both wines performed a bit oddly. Both Selbachs drank well particularly the 03 which is surprisingly balanced and not huge for the vintage. The 02 could use more bottle time in my estimation. Even with a decant the Chablis was tight as a drum and the Arcadian showed an odd mix of big butter and minerality. I liked the spring rolls with a yummy sauce quite a bit and the pairing worked well. I thought the scallops could have been fresher though and the wines didn’t exactly line up there…or anywhere. :slight_smile:

  • 2004 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
    Decanted about 2 hours prior to consumption. Very tight showing lots of minerals on the nose and palate but little else. Bone dry and a bit smokey. Served blind and guessed as a Sancerre which was telling. No flaws detected. Will check in tonight and see if it opened any.
  • 2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
    Decanted about 2 hours prior to consumption. Rich buttery nose. Butter on the palate with some lemon but there was a strong mineral core that stands out later in the palate. An odd mix of bigger typical Cali and a more lean mineral wine.
  • **2002 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese *** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    Cherry lime nose with some petrol that fades in the glass. Lightly sugared and well balanced showing a red apple flavors. A good Spatlese that could use more time in bottle.
  • **2003 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese *** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    Initially the nose is lemon Pledge but later on a crystal mineral quality peaks out. Clean, pretty and surprisingly light for such a young Auslese from such a hot vintage. I think the wine making really shines here. Maybe not a real long term Auslese but great for earlier drinking. Very good.

2nd Course
Rosemary Smoked Salmon with tarragon aioli served with toast points

This flight was Sean’s go at it. He lined us up with some Cali Pinots which turned out to be my favorite flight. All of the wines had something interesting to offer and were well made. The salmon was tasty and well cooked though the dish overall and it’s presentation were a bit confusing in set up. Sean replaced the corked August West with a bonus WineBid baby that was much more alive than I expected and didn’t die while we had it on the table. The Copain and Melville have bright futures ahead of them.

  • 2003 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
    Bit cloudy this showed Christmas spice and cranberry with the spices really becoming big in the glass with a more menthol note and some caramel later. Bit chunky and disjointed with some tartness bite and grip. Nice ripe flavors but a bit all over. This is a nice look back and its easy to see that TRB has improved his handle on these the past few years.
  • 2007 Melville Pinot Noir Estate - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills
    Deep dark but pretty nose very redolent of Santa Rite Hills to me. Tight on the palate but plenty of fruit is in there. Wanted to guess Clos Pepe but overheard something that made me look elsewhere.
  • 2007 August West Pinot Noir Graham Family Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Very musty nose. Assumption was that it was corked.
  • 1976 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Lots of color still for such an oldy of the type with little browning. Old mushroomy nose, touch of cheese. Balanced and simple yet still very alive. Long past its peak to be sure but held up for well over an hour which was the most surprising thing. Good wine making and good storage here.
  • 2006 Copain Pinot Noir “En Haut” Kiser - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
    Very tight nose with some cranberry peaking out. Fairly wrapped up with a nice lean palate feel. Good grip and a long minerally finish. Guessed an 07 Copain Pinot. This needs some time or plenty of air. Should be terrific.

3rd Course
Portobello Mushroom Rissotto Served with Braised Beef with Portobello Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini

This was Chris’ flight and he elected to go with Pinots again. I have to say taht this was the most challenging flight as none of the wines seemed anything like Pinot to me. We had a hard time identifying them at our end. The Loring really seemed like a Zin to me and to be fair I think that was a barrel sample and not a bottled wine. The meat on the third wine really threw me off as did the banana notes on the second wine. These were pretty far from what I think of as Oregon Pinot. The dish was very good to me with the mushroom risotto seeming very fresh and the beef very tasty.

  • 2006 Trinity Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Nose of sugar, raisins and berries. Very ripe flavors yet lean feeling showing raisins and blackberries.
  • 2006 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Sud - USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
    Ripe and soft nose with baked blackberries and a strong banana note. Bright palate with a note of white flowers and a strong finish. The nose was a bit off putting but this seems like a good wine underneath.
  • 2006 Sineann Pinot Noir Reserve Resonance - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Hot nose showing baked veggies, celery and meat. Big rich meaty palate that is very hot. No way to guess Pinot blind here.
  • 2008 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Rancho La Vina - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills
    Extracted, rich and very Zin like all around.

4th Course
Lamb Chops encrusted with Dijon Mustard and Bread Crumbs drizzled with Port Wine Reduction
Grilled Vegetable Wrap
Gorgonzola Au Gratin Potatoes

On to Leslie’s contributions. She elected to try and really trip us up which she was completely successful at. A Zin from New Zealand that came off like a Grenache, a Carlisle Zin that was more like a Syrah and a Quilceda Creek that I think confused because it was so damn tight we had a hard time getting anything out of it. The Switchback really seemed like a Cab to me with being heavy on the things I don’t like about so many of them these days and was my easy favorite of the flight. I was getting really full at this point which was a bummer because the gorgonzola potatoes were delicious as was the grilled veggies. The Lamb while on the gamey side was very tender.

  • 2006 Stonecroft Zinfandel - New Zealand, North Island, Hawkes Bay
    Lots of black pepper on the nose. Nicely balanced palate with good acids and some grip. Guessed a Grenache. A well made wine that is clearly built for food.
  • 2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Bacchi Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Notes of rubber tire, vanilla and caramel this showed some ripeness and heat but overall was a sullen nose. Soft with lots of grip and extracted berries.
  • 2005 Switchback Ridge Merlot Peterson Family Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
    Initially the nose was all coffee and mocha but some wood, cedar and bell pepper came alive showing me some Bordeaux variety qualities. Came off as a big styled oaky Cab on the palate but not too thick. Guessed a Pride Cab though I enjoyed it more than I usually do wines from that or the actual producer.
  • 2001 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington
    Very tight overall. Touch of heat and rubber with strong grip but really nothing to talk about as it pretty much seemed wrapped up. There was a bit of spicey Cab coming alive on the nose after about a half hour straight of swirling. Decant or leave alone for a few more years.

Dessert
Creme Brulee Trio with Vanilla Bean, Berry and Chocolate

Ramon generously brought two 375’s of Suduiraut here from a great vintage for an easy win. No brainer great wine. I was stuffed at this point so only really took a couple tastes of each one of these. The chocolate was great with some chips in the bottle.

  • 2001 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Pineapple and vanilla on the nose. Sappy and sticky but not heavy showing more pineapple and some orange on the palate. Strong but with a deft touch. A long future ahead of this.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Cris, thanks for getting the notes started. Here are mine. Thanks to the gang for making their way down to Sundried last night and having another whale of a time. I love this group and the concept of rotating the ownership of building blind flights.

THE OC BAGGED CREW–OCTOBER 2009 - Sun Dried Tomato Cafe, San Juan Capistrano, CA (10/3/2009)

All wines tasted blind, revealed after the group had sufficient time to guess varietal, place, etc. Each course flight was paired with a course prepared by Sundried Tomato Cafe.
Cris Whetstone’s White Selections
Pan Seared Jumbo Scallops with a orange saffron sauce
Blackened chicken spring rolls with a honey cilantro sauce

  • 2004 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
    Started off slow and still maintained this posture, olny opening some by the end of the flight. Mineral, pear, delicate. The minerality is refreshing and the flavors, while still wrapped up, portend what I think will be a more expressive wine with age. Need more time.
  • 2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
    The first thing to jump out on this wine was buttered popcorn, like the smell in a movie theater. Too much so for me and it obscures out the bouquet. Along with this note, some honeysuckle, lemon peel and spicy mineral. The aromatic was a distraction for me.
  • 2002 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    Lemon lime, honey and maybe even blood orange.
  • 2003 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    The nose left me thinking Alsace, with the diesel/petrol signature. Once past the nose, a rich and honeyed core with nic balance.

Sean Kennedy’s Red Selections
Rosemary smoked salmon
with a tarragon aioli served with toast points

  • 2003 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
    Drank from mag (thank you, Sean). Pine needle/resin, sour cherry, strawberry with some truffle and supporting tannin on the finish. I thought Garys’ vineyard at first but tasting blind, of course, was proven wrong.
  • 2007 Melville Pinot Noir Estate - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills
    After some discussion around the table, and some focusing in from Wetrock in his belief that the wine was Santa Rita Hills based, that seem to fit. Then in dealing with the flavors and aromatics–some menthol, rose water, blue fruits, mushroom and earth. It all said Melville Estate, which in past vintages, fit these notes…indeed, the only one I could guess right.
  • 1976 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Yes, some old bones flavor in the spice box and cedar notes. But, in reality, the wine is still alive and the fruit is there, and moreso, the color which is still quite vivid and alive. Suprising and enjoyable for a pinot of this age, of the early era.
  • 2007 August West Pinot Noir Graham Family Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    What a drag–corked. Would have been a nice player in the blind flight. NR (flawed)
  • 2006 Copain Pinot Noir “En Haut” Kiser - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
    The last wine of the flight and deserved of decant time, given the wine was fairly closed up when tasted. Clay like tannin, cool climate red and blue fruited, hint of whole cluster aromatic.

Chris Silkowski’s Red Selections
Portobello mushroom rissotto
served with a braised beef w/ portobello mushroom and goat cheese crostini

  • 2006 Trinity Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Of the 4 pinot noirs in the flight, this one was glass #1 and the best of them all IMO. Herb, vanilla, ripe fruit, raspberry jam and core. Lightest color of the 4 too and looked like pinot.
  • 2006 Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Le Sud - USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
    Cologne-like nose from what I would assume was high level of oak. Very ripe to me, brown spice-ish. A big wine.
  • 2006 Sineann Pinot Noir Resonance - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Coffe and pepper on nose. Very dark color, smoke and game, roasted blueberry. All of these things looked and tasted like a syrah but it was pinot. I guessed the former and was stumped that this was not syrah, which equated for some disappointment, as the wine as tasted did not speak pinot or for me what pinot shows.
  • 2008 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Rancho La Vina - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills
    This was a barrel sample that had been bottled and tape labeled. That said, I would like to know where this wine will head as it works its way to being fomally bottled. As for how it tasted last night, it was the least ‘pinot like’ of the flight. Extremely dark, heavy and ripe. Floral, juicy, cobbler, with lots of oak. Did not work for me.

Leslie Goldsmith’s Red Selections
Lamb chops encrusted with dijon mustard and bread crumbs
drizzled with a port wine reduction
grilled vegetable wrap
gorgonzola augratin potatoes

  • 2006 Stonecroft Zinfandel - New Zealand, North Island, Hawkes Bay
    This one stumped the table, as guesses ranged from grenache to god knows what else. But Zin? No one got that. Xmas tree sap, like that one would smell from the wood being sawed. The lightest color of the wines in the flight, a lighter colored Zin for sure. Red fruits with some astringence and acidity on the finish.
  • 2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Bacchi Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Dense, with bittersweet chocolate and new wood, black and blue fruits, espresso and plum sauce. Needs time for the primary elements to recede and let the wine speak. I’d want some more acidity and precision to emerge in the wine to push up against the richness.
  • 2005 Switchback Ridge Merlot Peterson Family Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
    In looking back at my previous 2 TNs on this wine, the bottle tasted last night is vry much like I remember in April 2008. And to Steve Nordhoff’s comment during last night’s meal and the ‘greeness’, this is also similar to my April note. I, though, don’t think of it as greeness but much more Bdx-like, a tobacco note. Ripe and pure and aromatically distinctive.
  • 2001 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Washington
    Graphite, dark fruit, chocolate, mocha, plum, currant and herb. Tight and young, I kept thinking Switchback Ridge cab but was very surprised to see the bottle revealed with a 2001 vintage. This wine still seems young, somewhat primary and loaded. There is a life ahead for this wine to live, to allow the youth to settle in.

Ramon Del Rosario’s Sticky
crème brulee trio
vanilla bean, chocolate and berry

  • 2001 Château Suduiraut - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
    Tasted at the end of a long meal, with a trio of creme brulees. It paired well with the desserts. Seemed honeyed. I log this TN only to memorialize the wine but my notes are inadequate here.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Awesome selection of wines and food - a LOT of wine, too!

The Selbach-Osters look particularly interesting.

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The Loring was formally bottled in August. I double decanted the night before into a regular bottle to keep all four bottles on a level playing field. Thanks to all who made it such a wonderful event.

Chris

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Great night with a wonderful group of folks. It was a fun learning experience.
Cris’ pairing of the Riesling was spot on for the spicy egg roll in honey cilantro sauce.
In Sean’s flight I was guessing KB for the Melville. Chris, who sat close by, nailed it as a Melville.
Chris’ Oregon flight was an eye-opener for me. I don’t have much experience with OR wines.
Leslie’s NZ Zin really had all of us fooled. I think she brought the only Zin made in New Zealand. The QC was really tight. I guessed a Cab for the Switchback Merlot.
Just goes to show how much I don’t know and the respect I have for people who have the gift of wine.

Thanks to everyone who made this evening a success.

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Howdy Everyone!

Great people, food and wine!

Thank you Steve and Frank for organizing another fun event.

My favorites were the Germans and the Rivers Marie Pinot.

Another thank you for putting up with my complete toying with the table.

I really got a kick out of Fe and Todd the two non wine geeks at the table. At one point while the rest of us were guessing madly the two of them turned to each other and said “These people have no idea what they are talking about!”

Hoping my schedule plays in my favor to make the next one.

Leslie

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I wanted to follow up on this thread. Especially after talking to Ed Kurtzman at Falltacular. While we all know that we are going to come across a corked bottle now and then, I personally, still have a tough time contacting the winery and saying that. Well, in this case, I have to say Ed read the notes posted by people at the tasting, he contacted me and within in 4 business days of the tasting I had on my porch a new bottle of the 07 AW Graham’s. That is jaw-dropping customer service in a time when customer service might be a fading art. I did nothing more than respond to an email and give my address. So KUDOS goes out to Ed for not only great wine, but for customer service that goes along with it. THANKS ED!!! [welldone.gif] [welldone.gif] [welldone.gif]

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Sean - Thanks for sharing. Ed’s a class act.

Chris