Week 5 Virtual Tasting - Blends! Blends! Blends! - hosted by Erich for Profugo Charity

WINE TALK
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  • 2010 O Wines Red Wine - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (12/24/2014)
    Red blend, who knows what’s in it. Guessing Syrah, Cabernet, and merlot. Reminds me of apothic but not as sweet. A gift from a friend and the proceeds go towards college tuition from young women so a noble cause.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Erich, a few more for you follow. The Carlisle would be 3 blends (GSM) and the Saves is a 2 blend (mostly PN and some Chard).

  • 2007 Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru - France, Champagne, Bouzy, Champagne (12/25/2014)
    Maybe now getting my palate around dosage levels. We drank an '08 Chartogne-Taillet Millesime (dosage of 4g) a few nights back that was zesty, tasting leaner and anchored with acidity. Roll forward to last night, drinking this Saves (dosage is 8g), it expresses more of a riper green and red apple, bread dough and is richer in tone. I wonder then about vintage, domaine style and whether the dosage # here is relevant to the degree I am seeing it. Those at the dinner last night liked the Saves, the bottle disappeared pretty quickly and I believe it will play well to palates that are accustomed to forward bubbly. As a counter, I do still have a handful of the Saves NV Rose arriving soon and we’ll see how that stacks up.
  • 2008 Carlisle Three Birds - USA, California, Sonoma County (12/24/2014)
    Early impression, as I just pulled this and opened for XMAS Eve dinner. Been a while since I drank one of these, this is my last bottle of the '08. Pours moderately dark but not beyond that and I don’t see any signs of aging or color change, FWIW. Comes across with grenache playing the main part–a glossy, spicy red fruit and sweet leather note that I enjoy. Just a light level of tannin, even with the minimal air so will be interested to see how that texture changes over the next couple hours. And to acidity, hey, there’s a good brushing of it here, which gives a counter to that glossy, red fruit and then some garrigue, under-brush in the finish. With more slow ox time, about 3 hours, this fleshed out pretty well and the red fruit flavors picked up some additional ripeness, shedding some of that glossy texture. It also added some structure on the finish, telling me that the bottle could go for a few more years at least. Noe to re-try today so I’ll close this note.

Posted from CellarTracker

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I hope cross posting is ok. This was part of our Christmas Eve dinner:


1996 Bollinger Grande Annee
Fully mature and delicious. Lots of toast as well as a lemony backbone that kept it very refreshing.

I don’t think Bollinger use Meunier in the Grand Annee, so this is just 2 grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

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Looks great – Love some Bollinger – yes, cross-posting is most certainly OK – I expected to see more Champagne from folks!

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You will. Later today.

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Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre:

  • 2008 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (12/24/2014)
    Popped and poured at a restaurant. Not the greatest glasses in the world, should have decanted two hours in advance, talking with friends and family so did not pay as much attention to the wine as perhaps it deserved, blah blah blah . . . but it was OUTSTANDING. Red fruit melange with raspberries, cherries and plums. A bit of spice and a tiny touch of apparent sweetness because there is so much fruit. Well integrated whole. Could have polished off a bottle all by myself it was sooooooo good. Once again, I felt sorry for those who cannot appreciate this wine.

Drank with spiced rack of lamb. Excellent pairing. (95 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

PS - I sent Guigal an email asking them to identity the 5% “other” in their Chateauneuf, but no response yet.

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Definitely all 13 varieties in this one! Confirmed with DNA testing by Carole Meredith. [berserker.gif]

  • 2010 Domaine de Saint Siffrein Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/25/2014)
    Good clarity and garnet color. Nose is buried right now and it’s been open for 3 hours. Has a nice core fruit on the attack, primarily blackberry, some red fruit, peppercorn, and a bramble flavor but aggressive oak and strong terpin overrun the finish. High acidity keeps it light but comes across as a little hot. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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TN: 2013 Bedrock Compagni Portis Herotage White
(Per website, a blend of Gewurtzraminer, Trousseau Gris, Riesling, Burger, and some that remain unidentified)

Rich and unctuous on both nose and palate, this has a noticeable bit of Gewurtztraminer with its heady floral notes, and has some subtle petrol and honeysuckle that I associate with Riesling. Only moderately acidic, the mouthfeel is quite full and the finish long, and notes of grapefruit and citrus peel linger. Very nice wine!

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2008 Roederer Rosé Brut 2008
Blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Beautiful strawberry fruit, elegant and precise. Great as an aperitif and equally fine as an accompaniment to our ham for Christmas dinner.

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2011 Domaine Gauby

Plus a 2007 Chateau St Cosme Gigondas, a blend of four traditional Rhone grapes, Grenache being predominant. Pretty large-scaled, modern Rhone, packs some heat.

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Two from last night’s Christmas dinner (along with more of the Deiss and Ovid)

2002 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année - France, Champagne (12/25/2014)
60% PN/ 40% Chardonnay. Delicious with a refreshing mouthfeel from the delicate bubbles. Biscuit, tree fruit, red berries, a touch of sweet red cherry and some floral notes on the nose. A lovely finish. (95 pts.)

1997 Dow Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (12/25/2014)
Incredibly youthful – I chose this because it looked like an early drinker, but this has decades left. Ripe red fruit and plum packed in smooth tannins with beautiful sweetness. Still very primary fruit-driven palate. Long pleasant finish does not show significant heat. My in-laws weren’t familiar with Port, and we’re shocked when I told them it was 20% abv. (93 pts.)

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The timing on this thread was impeccable - with Christmas dinner oyster course yesterday we opened:

NV Drappier Quattuor Blanc de Quatre Blancs - a blend of 25% each of Arbane, Petit Meslier, Blanc Vrai and Chardonnay. Lovely fine mousse, nose very reminiscent of Chablis - all minerals and saline spray, with just a hint of nuttiness. Delicious racy mineral driven palate - almost too dry and tight on its own, but seemed to plump up and show more bread and lemon notes when combined with the oysters. This feels like it could age effortlessly for quite a while.

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Jud - I was wondering if someone would go for the Drappier – gold star to you for a unique blend within Champagne! Sounds great too!

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A couple CdPs from yesterday:

Domaine de la Mordoree - Grenache 80%, Mourvedre 10%, Syrah 5%, Counoise 2.5%, Vaccarese 2.5%

  • 2006 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/26/2014)
    Gave this an hour decant and found a very savory nose - dark chocolate, roasted game, and violets. Palate is savory as well, smoked meats, pepper, and garrigue, some plum sneaking in on the very tannic finish. Enjoyable with food, actually that helps keeping the tannin from building. Big wine, and could use more time.

Posted from CellarTracker
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Chateau de Beaucastel - Grenache 30%, Mourvèdre 30%, Counoise 10%, Syrah 10% Cinsault 5%, the remaining 15% is a mix of Vaccarèse, Terret noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, and Roussanne

  • 2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/26/2014)
    Decanted to a medium ruby color and a nose of intense raspberries. Palate is smooth and ripe, raspberries and strawberries, a little too smooth not much complexity here. Had this same wine a few months ago and found it much more impressive. After an hour of air it starts putting on some additional spice on the finish. Just and ok showing for this wine.

Posted from CellarTracker
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Fantastic timing for this thread! I was at my lws last week and the owner had just hooked up a new sound system with a turntable as its centerpiece. He mentioned the notion of doing some wine-music pairings. Johnny Cash was singing at the time and I asked for a wine that would pair well with his music. The bottle he pulled off the shelf is below. The similarities: American, dark (black?) and a plethora of styles (grapes). Listening to a nice mix of the man in black’s songs while drinking a glass or two I would say the pairing increased the score from the solo 87 below to an 89+. A plethora of grapes in the wine likely helped his variety of music: zin, cab sauv, sangiovese, syrah, merlot & cab franc.
2010 Kuleto Estate Native Son - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/26/2014)
Aromas of red & black raspberry, cocoa and herbs. The palate is dark with notes of black cherry, cocoa and red raspberry. A touch dusty and herbal with medium acidity/tannins. Drink now-2016. **(87 pts.)**Posted from CellarTracker
:
I’m pulling a Bedrock field blend from the cellar now and will post notes later this weekend. Really enjoy the theme.

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I’m gonna count this… nice pairing with beer-braised brats

2013 Eric Bordelet Sydre Argelette - France, Normandy (12/26/2014)
Blend of 19 apple varieties (40% sweet, 40% bitter, 20% sour). Beautiful bronze color in the glass, with few visible bubbles. The nose is dominated by crabapple with some sweet baking spice. The palate shows vibrant acidity that balances the off-dry sweetness. Some apple skin perceivable. moderate finish. This is quite good, but I prefer the pear ciders. (91 pts.)

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Great theme.

2003 Vieux Télégraphe – My last bottle (actually a half bottle) fortunately. Drunk over two nights. Very drying tannins both nights, and not as full bodied as most vintages, not a good combination. I suspect the tannins will become even more pronounced with additional age.

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Too young, but stumbled across a 375 for $50 & shared with family after dinner. This is a mix of 40% Touriga Franca, 36% Touriga Nacional, 10% Sousao & the rest an assortment of field blends.

I could honestly give less than a shit about Wine Spectator, but couldn’t deny my curiousity when I found this at a good price. I snuck out towards the end of dinner & poured it into 6 glasses. The nose was an immediate blast of figs, dark berries & orange peel. We grabbed the glasses with a chocolate ganache cake for dessert. This showed layers of intense dark fruit, tons of spicy character all tied together with that orange peel. Big tannins, deep flavors. Fantastic stuff.

Yes- again, I know. Criminally young.
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2010 Dragonette Cellars Seven - this is a blend in two different ways: 4 varietals - Syrah (92%), Grenache (5%), Mourvedre (2%) and Viognier (1%); and 7 vineyards - Thompson (33%), Shadow Canyon (26%). Harrison-Clarke (14%), Watch Hill (13%), Stolpman (10%), John Sebastiano (2%), and Jack McGinley (2%); and in fact the name “Seven” comes from the fact that 7 different vineyards go into the blend. So does that mean this will count for 11? [whistle.gif]

On the nose, this wine was initially very closed up. With some vigorous swirling in the glass, it started to reveal black cherries with that little extra lift I normally associate when a bit of Viognier is added into the mix, and with some extended air time, the nose seemed to get brighter. On the palate, this is dark and brooding, with blackberries, cracked black pepper, and a hint of tar. The blackberry flavors linger nicely on the finish, though I do pick up a little bitter note on the finish. All in all quite enjoyable, and as I am drinking it, it evokes a warm, comforting feeling.

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Another bottle that got opened up later in the evening…2010 Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana Poggio alla Guardia. This is a Super Tuscan blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese. On the nose, I get red fruits and an earthy, sweaty note that I associate with Tuscan reds. On the palate, there are tart plums mixed in with strong earth and mushroom notes. Finish is a bit clipped. A pleasant enough wine, better with a bite of the roasted tomato pasta that we had for dinner, but nothing too serious or thought provoking.