Blind Tasting in the New Era

The world changed since the last tasting. The Great Coronavirus Shutdown of 2020 ensued just days later. Chatter on the text lines immediately turned to virtual tasting and since everyone's schedule is remarkably (unfortunately) free these days we met on a Saturday night and because we were gathering online, our friend Jorge was able to join us from Napa.

Everyone would have their turn describing the characteristics of the wine, then everyone would try to deduct and identify the wine. For an added wrinkle a spouse or significant other would pull a wine so the it would be blind to the taster as well. Sounds like fun!

The date was set. A copy of the Deductive Tasting Grid used by the Court of Master Sommeliers was distributed to aid the tasters. The software was tested. Saturday night came and we were ready to go.

I chose a selection  of wines from which Susan chose one She opened and decanted the wine and put the bottle in a brown bag. I know John used a similar method. Jorge went all out and let Kristina have total access.

Without a lot of fanfare, we cut quickly to the chase.

Jorge was first up and gave a textbook example of how to use and follow the grid. From the physical appearance we knew the wine was hazy with no gas, there was a slight stain to the tears. The wine showed a purple core changing to a ruby rim with a wide, clear rim around the edge.

Aromas showed the wine to be clean with medium intensity and notes of slightly overripe cranberries and cherries with herbal suggestions of eucalyptus and sage. Some evidence of oak, but not new.

On the palate the wine was dry with overripe cranberries and cherries and flowers. It was gamey with blood and animal notes, no new oak with medium tannins, medium plus acidity, round texture and medium complexity.

Putting all those factors together his final conclusion was that it was a Syrah from Napa. I questioned his call, asking about the spiciness and suggesting that the game and blood indicated Mourvedre.
The wine was a 2012 Lirac from the Southern Rhone, a traditional blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Domaine Marcoux I believe was the producer.

Scott went next, describing a light red wine of indeterminate age that had been open for three hours. Aromas of crushed cranberries and rose petals led to dry wine with bursting flavors of cranberries and cherries that dissipated rapidly on the palate. No evidence of new oak. Pinot Noir was ruled out immediately. Jorge asked several questions about tannins and acidity.

Sepi kept talking about a bottle of Neyers Rossi Ranch Grenache I once sold him. And it turns out he was pretty much correct. Aaron Pott, 2012 Grenache. Would loved to have had a taste! Mr. Pott is a remarkable winemaker.

I went next and managed a credible run through of the grid. I realized how out of practice I was. Looking back over the blogposts, the last blind tasting of my study group was in 2015! Jeez! I still think of it as being just a couple of years ago! It takes practice to run the grid as smoothly as Jorge had done to start us off. And it takes discipline to listen to what the grid is telling you rather just leaping to mnemonic conclusions.

A clear red wine of medium concentration. A purple shifting to a garnet tinge at the edge, medium plus menicus, no staining of the tears, no gas. The nose was clean and of medium plus intensity with ripe aromas of blueberries and huckleberries with suggetions of forest floor, mushrooms and hints of new French Oak.

Flavors were confirmed on the dry palate with no evident flaws. Fruits were ripe with medium extraction. Soft integrated tannins, gentle finishing acidity, medium plus body with round, velvety textures and a long finish of medium plus complexity. Even though I knew the selection of wines that I had pulled for Susan to pull from, this wine stood out for me as unmistakably Pinot Noir. I left it for the group to take it home.

Group think went immediately to New World and specifically to California. After a round of questions the call was Carneros Pinot Noir. I kept trying to bring up the blue fruit dominance which to me almost always points to Oregon and that's what it was. Another 2012! Evening Land's 'la Source' Pinot from the highest block in their Seven Springs Vineyard. Side Note #1: First time Dave brings a Pinot? Side Note#2: Kept developing, putting on weight and oomph. Even better the next day. Pretty nice stuff.

Sepi was up next. I kept sipping my wine. And my note taking skills started diminishing. Rapidly. But I remember him describing a big ass wine. "Something John would like," I believe he said. Big extracted black fruits. Spicy integrated tannins on the long finsh. Sepi was liking this wine. A lot. I was wishing I had some.

Everyone was comfortable placing the wine in the new world, in California.

Didn't sound like Cab. Zin? Rhone? Not Cab.

Paso? Napa? Not Santa Barbara.

Epoch 2011 Veracity (?) Paso Robles. Great producers. They sell a lot of Fruit to Saxum and their wines are like baby Saxums at half the price.

John, our host, brought us home and did a credible job following the grid for the first time. He described a dark wine, purple to the rim with massive stained legs and a wide, clear meniscus; no gas and alcohol. (A big boy!) Very ripe extracted black fruits with toasty vanilla graham crackers on the long finish. Definitely new world, seemingly definitely Napa Cab. Nope, not Cab, but Merlot. Behrens and Hitchcock. I can't remember the specific label or vintage. Going to their website, it appears that they are now producing under the Behrens Family Winery label.

All in all a great success, everyone is looking forward to our next tasting Thursday of white wines.  I can't remember who said it but this quote sums up the evening.

"Wow. We've been talking for two hours with not one mention of Coronavirus!"

A nice relief indeed.