Wherein all the wines are served blind and participants spontaneously decide the order, as in "I want to go next!"
So I decide to go first, because I have this crazy bottle that I'm sure is going to suck but should excite a lot of conversation anyway. I'll post about it separately, but it was a pre-1969 bottle from the oldest winery in California and second-oldest winery in the nation. And of course it sucked, so I swiftly whipped out this starter:
2011 Domaine du Clos des Garands Fleurie Sublime Gamay
100+ year old vines and concentration obscured the gamay identity even among a group of Bojo lovers. Serious, sophisticated. I own the only two, well--now one--bottles of this reported on Cellar Tracker. A great discovery on our last trip. Very good, will get better. Next bottle: 2020.
2010 Lost River Winery Nebbiolo Wahluke Slope
Orange-hued, looks older than it is. Flavors of stewed red fruit with braised root vegetables and nebb's trademark tarriness. Interestingly lacks the lactic front notes and oak typical of the Lost River style (thankfully), but still not mistakable for Piedmonte. Okay.
2002 Chateau Reynella Shiraz Basket Pressed McLaren Vale
Nicely evolved but not yet fully mature. Smoke and black fruit on the nose with a tiny bit of iodine. High alcohol but no longer obtrusive. Good.
2013 Massaya Cap Est Bekaa Valley Red Rhone Blend
50/50 grenache/mourvedre grown at 900-1200 feet elevation in the Bekaa Valley. Medium bodied with lightly jammy red fruit and bay leaf with hints of juniper berry, allspice and passion fruit. Good.
2011 Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V. Coastal Region, South Africa
My bottle. Purchased on Winebid with no prior familiarity strictly for the name 'Bellingham', the hub of my country and city in which these tastings take place. About 75% Syrah, the rest Mourvedre with a co-ferment dose of viognier hence SMV. Just medium bodied with superb balance, everything in the right place. Initial guesses went Chateneuf. Lively and complex with flavors of pomegranate and orange rind with a bit of baked ham and the sweet fresh acidity of a green apple. A favorite of the night around the table. Excellent.
2012 Domaine du Gros 'Noré Bandol
80% mourvedre, 20% grenache. Kermit Lynch import. Dark meaty fruit and minerally, with good acidity and chewy tannins. A baby with a bright future. Very good.
2002 Domaine de la Serre Côtes du Roussillon Villages Pierre Levee Grenache Blend
Heavy, musty with cola flavors. Past its best.
2012 Hedges Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain
Just medium bodied with Hedges' trademark acidity--I wrongly guessed '11 instead of '12 because of both--with decent red and black fruit. Nice.
1976 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard Rutherford
My bottle. Initial guesses targeted aged Rioja, then ran all over the map before anyone considered the possibility of it being a 40 year old CalCab. Slightly stewy nose, much better on the palate. Very mature but still palatable and interesting. Lots of fun for the guy present whose birth year this is. Very good.
2002 Feudi di San Gregorio Pàtrimo Campania IGT Merlot
Very international in style. Ripe, inky, full bodied, rich, dark chocolately, dark fruit with the intensity of dried cherries and plums, sweet tannins, mouth-coating. Impressively, very much like Aglianico and very much like a far better vintage than the rainy 02 (a stereotype probably not deserved in the south vs., say, Tuscany). At it's best right now, but no rush. Excellent.
2014 Bodega Bouza Tannat Reserva Montevideo
Lactic sour notes up front with espresso and crayon on mostly red fruit. "A Chinese Bonarda" guessed one taster which was probably funnier at the time than it sounds on paper. Drinkable but wouldn't seek it out. Good.