Blindtasting September, Ganddal

Wine#1

Very light red colour and typical Pinot nose with lots of red berries and chocolate.
Simple, but attractive taste.
A great lunch wine that should go well with white meat.

Panel took one sniff of the glass and said Pinot from California.

Pinot Noir, Hirsch vineyard, San Andreas Fault, Sonoma Coast.
Score 16,80
Hirsch Vineyards

Wine #2

Another Pinot Noir, but this has more color and structure.
Darker berries with dark chocolate.
A powerful Pinot from perhaps a cooler climate.
Soft integrated tanins and a lovely big taste.

Panel in no doubt about grape. Some discussions around Cali vs NZ..

Pinot Noir 2006, Marimar Estate, Russian River (Cali), oh we like it!
Score 17.70
Marimar Estate

Wine #3

Another Pinot with lovely smell of red berries, flowers and vanilla.
Taste is slightly "cooked" which leads parts of the panel to even warmer climates than California (how is that possible).
The wine lacks acidity and is a bit dull.

The wine turns out to be Beaune 1er cru 2007 which is a "cold" year and in recent tastings it was totally different...(wineshop problem..?)

Beaune 1er "Boucherottes", Anne Gros, 2007, Score 16,60 (previous 18)

Wine # 4

Deep dark red coloured wine.
Lots of dark berries (forrest).
Big solid smooth taste packed with alcohol.

Panel not sure about the Pinot track and dithers around.
Probably a new world wine but ...

Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 "Artemis" Napa Valley, Score 18,70
(how did it get such a high score...)
Stags Leap - The Estate

Comments

Leoville Lascases 1988

Last week was a special week for me as I received my last pay check from my previous employer. An event that required some sort of celebration with some good friends. Of the many bottles opened during that evening was a Leoville Lascases 1988. This Bordeaux wine from St. Julien is second Grand cru classee but it has the quality of a first growth. This chateau was also the wine that made me change from beer to wine as I had the pleasure of tasting a Leoville Lascases 1945 back in 88. The 1945 just knocked me off my guard and I remember thinking what a fantastic wine it was and what an experience to drink this wine from the year when world war 2 ended. I was in shock and I then just decided to enter into the world of wine. I have always had a soft spot for this chateau ever since. And to my pleasure it has been performing well at much more reasonable prices than the much more expensive first growths in the 1855 classification. Nowadays a bottle of this wine costs around ...

Condrieu 2014 by Cuilleron

In the steep hills north in the Rhone valley there is a small appelation which is called Condrieu. Here the rare grape of Viognier is grown. A grape not well known to many people but which gives a fantastic wine when grown here. It is a full bodied white with a very pronounced and overwhelming smell of flower, peach, apricot, tropical fruit etc. The taste is dominated by ripe fruit, medium acidity and a long finish. Very good to outstanding quality. This is not a white for the fainthearted as the style is rather opulent. But with 2 year old Comte it is the perfect match. Cuilleron (manager) has many different styles. The wine is pricy and rare to get hold of. Condrieu 2014 "La Petite Cote" Yves Cuilleron ca 30€ or 400 nok

Chianti Riserva 2016

Castello de Farnatello has a basic Chianti and a Riserva on the market. Both of them are good value for money. We tried the Riserva the other day, in two different glasses; Riedel Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The Syrah glass is more closed at the top (to the right). The colour of the wine is medium red and the nose discrete smell of cherries, leather and nuts. Attractive acidity with a firm well balanced taste. This is perfect with lamb for ex. 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot has been added to the wine as well and that gives it more body than the pure Sangiovese. And which glass works best? The Syrah glass enhances the smell much more than the CS glass in which the wine seems much more closed. Chianti Riserva 2016, Castello de Farnatello Ca 230 kr or 13euro

Life is too short to drink bad wine

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