Our first 2nd hand blind tasting!!!! Try to figure out the wine?

One of the forums in the UK does this "blind" tasting from time to time and it has proven very popular with participants. Last year I picked Chambourcin and stumped quite a few people!! Here is how it works.........You pick a wine from the cellar/off the shelf and write brief tasting notes here on the forum. Participants have to try and guess which wine you are referring to/vintage/grape/country etc. You give some clues as forumites wander around aimlessly!!! Sooner or later someone will get it or come really close!!

So who`s game?? Otto will be interested I know!! Any questions, I am here for you!!!! No prize, just the satisfaction of being the winner. Well perhaps we can get a T-shirt for the winner of the inaugural 2nd hand blind tasting!! I could take care of that.

So are we all ready?!!

The bottle was dusted off and stood for a day. Opened mid-morning and half the content was decanted at 6pm. Good natural cork, 12.5% alc. Sediment noted but not sure how much.

Color. Nice medium garnet with pale purple tinges on the rim. Surprisingly showing the merest hints of youth, the centre is medium opaque.

Nose. Lots of swirling to get things going! Nice spicy/savoury nose here, showing some red berry fruits. Noted some black pepper and earthyness with just a hint of meatyness?

Palate. Initial mouthfeel entry is dry, wealth of tannins, complex. Fair acidity, cherry, dark berry and damsons. Bit earthy and quite savoury. The finish is however a bit short, surprising and unmemorable. Might come around tomorrow I hope?

Food was Sausage and Beans.

So there you are forumites!! I will be checking in from time to time to edge things along with positive as well as negative remarks. I will not be around much on monday till 6pm but tuesday and wednesday will not be far away..if this goes that long!!! I encourage forumites to inter-react with each other as they guess rightly or wrongly!!! Naturally there are some clues so good luck.

I'll take a stab, Bob -- 1995 Chateauneuf du Pape.

I'll take a stab, Bob -- 1995 Chateauneuf du Pape.

The pepper had me thinking syrah, but you're right, with the meatyness it could also be something blended and more Southern.

So, I guess I don't really have anything to add to this guess

CNP would have been my first guess too, but 12.5% is too low for CNP according to the AC regulations, isn't it?

Is it from the Rhone?

CNP would have been my first guess too, but 12.5% is too low for CNP according to the AC regulations, isn't it?

Is it from the Rhone?

I thought that 12,5% is the minimum CdP is allowed to be - though in practice they tend to be more.

I was thinking of the N Rhone, maybe a Crozes or St-Joseph. The short finish would suggest a weaker year. No note of peach-aromas would steer me away from Côte-Rôtie.

Good morning everyone from Alberta at 3am MT!!

Yes, it`s Old World and it is France so a pretty good start. Gonna have to let those over here wake up so thats all for now. Good trys so far and some neat deductions!! No, its not Rhone.

Ah that saves me making similar comments!

Thinking aloud,
- Plenty of clues to a wine with age and also one that would be expected to age well.
- Yes plenty of signs for Rhone, so perhaps something in the Rhone mould but not from the region (Languedoc perhaps - maybe Mas de Daumas... never even seen it myself, no idea what it tastes like). I certainly would have guessed Rhone without the steer.
- Although strong tannins might fit bordeaux, the more meaty notes would be surprising.
- Strong tannins (even with age) and dense colour might lead to Cahors, maybe even Madiran. Possible matches with earthiness and spice.

So I'll go for a Cahors, say Ch de Cedre, with some age, say 1994?

There are several things hinting towards syrah. But the meatyness and earthyness could hint of mourvedre and/or grenache. So could be a Bandol.

Good morning again, it`s now 7.30 MT and I am expecting some more participants after Robin`s Wine Advisor comes out so I am not going to give out more clues till 5pm when I think we will have the winner!!!! But so far Ian Sutton is right on the way to winning the T Shirt. He is wrong with two facts but right with one. So good job so far everyone, the late getter-uppers will be here soon!!

Sneaky eh, that Bob Parsons!!!

CNP would have been my first guess too, but 12.5% is too low for CNP according to the AC regulations, isn't it?

Is it from the Rhone?

I thought that 12,5% is the minimum CdP is allowed to be - though in practice they tend to be more.

I was thinking of the N Rhone, maybe a Crozes or St-Joseph. The short finish would suggest a weaker year. No note of peach-aromas would steer me away from Côte-Rôtie.

Hi Otto,you are a pal..but wrong, no syrah!!!!!!!!!

There are several things hinting towards syrah. But the meatyness and earthyness could hint of mourvedre and/or grenache. So could be a Bandol.

Arnt, nice try...wrong, no mourvedre. Right country!!!!!!!

I'll take a stab, Bob -- 1995 Chateauneuf du Pape.

The pepper had me thinking syrah, but you're right, with the meatyness it could also be something blended and more Southern.

So, I guess I don't really have anything to add to this guess

Southern is good Rahsaan!! I have seen somewhere a tasting note from you on this kind of wine. Yeah, I know man, thousands of notes!!!

avoiding the fact that I'm notorious for lucking the year (hint to others - this means it's undoubtedly 1994!!) and getting the wine utterly wrong, I reckon Cahors is right.

So, another producer with a high reputation - maybe Clos ge Gamot
and a year... well maybe such a low alcohol suggests a cool but not a bad year. I don't know Cahors vintages, but maybe using Bx as a benchmark maybe a 1996.

regards

Ian

[oops - not sure if it's allowed for me to have 2nd 3rd and more attempts, but I'll leave it here for fun if nothing else]

I'll go with Madiran as a second guess, then! A 91 perhaps.

I'm not so sure about Madiran or Cahors, I never detect black pepper in those. I would say it's grenache based, for the same reason, as well as for the red berry nose. The alcohol level is a little low for a southern grenache though? maybe it's some high end CdR? it's not gigondas because those must have syrah. but it could be some CdR villages. Damned if I can guess the vintage. about 5-6 years old? shouldn't older ones start having secondary characteristics?

I'm guessing Languedoc, maybe Corbieres (or Minervois) to be more specific, from 2001 give or take a vintage.

[Jenise]

Is it a 99 Vacqueyras?

[James Roscoe]

Is it a 99 Vacqueyras?

It's not a Rhone, nor is it a syrah, nor a mouvedre. Should we move a little further north?

[Jenise]

Oh, it's NOT Rhone. I misunderstood, thought he'd only ruled out CdP but you're right he said "not Rhone".

I'm also throwing my guess to the West, Cahors. It may not have the same pepper as syrah, but there is spice and bramble..

Good afternoon all you guessers out there!!! It`s Monday early evening 4.40pm MT and I have managed to post this without looking at the latest thoughts/guesses/deliberations!! Yup, seriously but I am going to go there now. But first I should mention that we have some Europeans taking part and it is only fair to them to wait and declare if we have a winner. There is an 8 hour time difference from where I am. So anyway I`m gonna check and see whats going on here!!!

Ok I have checked todays posts so far and one person is getting close, almost there!!! But he is sleeping right now (whoops a clue) so we will all have to wait 8 hours but I still do not have the Clos (hint) or the right vintage!!!!


****think grape varietal here, and it ain`t nothing from the Rhone!!!

I'll go with Madiran as a second guess, then! A 91 perhaps.

Wrong appellation, wrong vintage but it is a 1900something. C`mon Otto!!!