Our Monday Night Blind Wine Dinner Group welcomed back our founding member who moved out of state a few months ago and 4 of us enjoyed another fabulous evening of fellowship, fine Italian cuisine and fine wine education.
We tasted through one bubbly, one white wine and 3 red wines plus the remnants of a leftover red wine at the end.
As David White’s book title states, “But First, Champagne”, we started off with a real challenge and 3 of us failed miserably in identifying the champagne before us:
1996 DUVALL- LEROY FEMME de CHAMPAGNE GRAND CRU BRUT- poured blind for us; I guessed this to be a blend with more Chardonnay and it is 79% Chardonnay and 21% Pinot Noir; I also guessed the dosage to be 8 gpl, but could never find the actual amount other than it was a brut which placed it broadly between 0-12 gpl; nonetheless, this was a stellar champagne that deceived us with its more youthful yellow to gold color and fresh fruit profile that consisted mainly of kiwi, white peach and green apple; it had bright acidity which contributed to its tanginess and after 10 minters or so, a streak of white pepper and peppermint came in only to fade out; it was full bodied, had some power and richness and was very impressive; we guessed various vintages from my 2006 to others 2012-2015 and the 3 of us called it Dom Perignon. Fooled again.
2012 DOMAINE ANTONIN GUYON CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU- blind; this had a medium yellow color and was served quite chilled; the pleasant nose consisted of coconut accented yellow apple, joined later on the palate by pear and honeysuckle while being delivered in an oily, feel good textured medium; it had some nice acidity and really checked off a lot of the pleasure meter boxes; the coconut apple and oily texture sent me to NW Spain and Albarino, but not to be; one other had it as a new world Chardonnay and another mentioned Southern Rhone; we did not do so well on the first 2 wines.
1986 CHATEAU COS d’ESTOURNEL SAINT-ESTEPHE- blind; this had such an inviting nose of spicy red and black raspberry with accents of earth and tobacco in the background; once taste, additional notes of dark chocolate accented black currant and black cherry came in while being transported super softly; it was full bodied with some layered depth and finished on an upbeat; the fruit profile was mindful of some Super Tuscans I’ve had, but was it the Bordeaux blends or the Sangioveses?; I first called it 2010 Fontodi Flaccianello {100% Sangiovese} and then considered it being a Right Bank from 2000 with Cabernet Franc more prevalent; the red and black raspberry kept me thinking anything but Left Bank and the age was really deceiving as out bottle was much more youthful than an almost 40 year old wine.
2005 BODEGAS MUGA PRADO ENEA GRAN RESERVA RIOJA- blind; my bring and recognized; decanted 3 hours; 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano; the grapes used for making Prado Enea, along with those for Torre Muga, are always the last to be brought into the winery, then fermented naturally in 10,000-kilo oak vats with no temperature control or added yeasts; maceration time may go on for up to 20 days; this wine
is aged in 16,000-litre capacity oak vats for 12 months and then minimally 36 months in oak casks and at least 36 months in the bottle; after cask-aging the wine is gently fined using fresh egg whites.
Our bottle had a dark, inky vibrant red purple color and telltale aromas of coconut {American oak] inundated blueberry and black cherry which also made up a good portion of the taste profile along with some mild accents of cinnamon and white pepper; over time, it gained momentum, power and complexity as well as additional red, blue and dark fruit notes; it had a smooth almost creamy texture and came together nicely at the end where it hung on seemingly forever; no one got this; some had it as new world Pinot, one offered Syrah and another stated it possibly being a Brunello {Sangiovese}.
2020 CLOS d’ARGENTINE WINEMAKER’S SELECTION GRAN RESERVA MALBEC- blind; this fruit forward wine seemed quite playfully youthful while highlighting its jujube {red cherry} dominant fruit profile; leather and sweet black cherry also joined in, but the red cherry prevailed all the way through; it was medium bodied and in weight and finished as it began, with a dollop of jujube candy in your face; I had no idea as to what the variety was and called it new world something; I believe one had it as a Pinot. If I recall correctly, the one who brought it {who also brought the Cos, bought it at Costco.
I brought a leftover from a dinner with one of our group from 3 nights prior and poured it blind at the end:
Here’s my original notes which were still appropriate for this re-visit:
1983 CHATEAU BEYCHEVELLE SAINT JULIEN- my bring served blind; this is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot with the percentages in the 60/30/5/5 range; decanted 1/2 hour and then poured a few hours later upon being seated at dinner, swirled repeatedly but not not tasted until 15-20 minutes later; the color definitely demonstrated some age with a bit of a browning edge; the nose offered leather and earth accents to the dried black currant that was joined by some nice, fresh black cherry that served to provide some youthfulness; it was full bodied with layered depth and complexity and finished classily with its hallmark of being in perfect balance. We got this one in its peak stage.
Cheers,
Blake
