Red blinds:
J. P. Chenet Cabernet - Syrah 2005 6,89€
Humbling experience. I always assumed that this was abysmal shite, but this blind taste got me thinking again. Sure this isn't a great wine, but neither is it offensive - and at this price (in Finland that is) I think that is quite an achievement. But as a blind guess I did think it was a Beaujolais-Village. There are no Cab or Syrah flavours at all.
Beck St. Laurent 2003 Neusiedlersee, Gols
Massively oaky and spoofy: blueberry liqueur. Much too high alcohol. Quite offensive, much more so than the JP Chenet!
Golan Heights Winery Pinot Noir Yarden Kosher 2002 Israeli Occupied Syria's Jawlán Heights
A rather nice nose with true Pinosity: beetroot, earth, sweet red fruit and a touch of minerals. It is a touch sweeter and oakier than I prefer, but that doesn't obscure the Pinosity at all. The palate isn't quite as successful IMO. It starts out sweet and nicely acidic and red berried, but unfortunately it tastes rather too sugary and the 14% alcohol is too noticable. The aftertaste is rather too short. Still, it is a fair wine. For a Kosher wine, it seems fairly priced at about 19€.
Braunstein Pinot Noir 2003 Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Purpach
The nose has a high degree of Pinosity, ripe red toned fruit. All in all very nice, except for a slightly coca-cola like / cough drop aroma - but that was slight and not terribly off-putting. The palate had nice acidity (I was really surprised when unveiled that this was a 2003!), Pinosity and sweet, red toned fruit and fine length. Not terribly complex, but very drinkable.
Rosi Schuster Clausenberg 2002 Cabernet-Merlot Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, St. Margarethen
A touch too oaky at first with dill and chocolate, but opened up to a nice cassis. The palate was ripe and juicy with nice grip and length. A very nice wine despite the oak (which I think will calm down with a couple years more). My guess: a more restrained new world Cabernet blend.
Prieler Schützner Stein 2003 Blaufränkich-Merlot Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Schützen am Gebirge
Leafy, green, savoury, cassis smell but very ripe also - more restrained than the previous. Juicy but savoury palate, with nice tannins and adequate acidity. My guess: Bordeaux from warm year (2000?, not freakish enough for 2003! - oops
), good Bourgeois property? Chasse-Spleen, perhaps? Oops.
J. Heinrich Goldberg Reserve 2004 Blaufränkish Südburgenland, Deutschkreutz
At first the nose was utterly lovely and my favourite: peach, meat, earth, dung - seemed like a lighter Northern Rhône. The palate gave the same impression with its meaty and peppery fruit. Earthy and stern yet elegant. Unfortunately with air, it became confectedly sweet. This transformation was very, very strange. I didn't really care for it once it had some air.
Whites:
Sdricca di Manzano Ribolla Gialla 2005 Colli Orientali del Friuli
An open scent of wax, glue, hay, minerals, apples. The palate is dry, has fine fruit, is rather weighty but not cumbersome at all and it has lovely high acidity and minerality. Very nice. My guess: an inexpensive Loire Chenin from 2005. Hey, at least I got the year right!
I really suck at blind tastings....
Ludwig Ehn Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Kamptal, Langenlois
A very pungent and SB-like nose - but it is a bit too much of a parody of the SB aromatics. The palate has nice fruit, seems to be from a warm year, high acidity. I just can't seem to warm up to this grape. I thought it correct but boring and a bit too obvious.
Müller-Grossmann Chardonnay Classic 2005 Kremstal, Furth-Palt
A honeyed, dirty, earthy, green nose. The palate has wide fruit, some nice minerals, but is frankly rather too ripe and pear-like. The honey and the pear just make this a bit too sickly though not sweet. Not very nice.
Magyar Fehér Bor NV 4,69€
This is the cheapest wine in Alko. A Hungarian blend of Welschriesling and Müller-Thurgau with 25g/l RS. A nose of cheap industrial cider. The palate is similar. Vile.
Dr. Unger Riesling Reserve Silberbügel 2005
A lovely nose, mineral and savoury and Rieslingy - deep and promises complexity if left alone for quite some time. The palate gives me a nice acid mouthwash, is light yet intense and mineral and very long and very Rieslingy. Lovely stuff.
Geyerhof Grüner Veltliner Gutsreserve 2005
A strange nose: ketchup. Is this oaked? Well, it does have some nice GV, peppery fruit underneath the ketchup, but it is weird. The palate is a bit flat but has some acidity. Not terribly nice, though not undrinkable.
Birgit Eichinger Grüner Veltliner Goliath 2005
Oak. Dill. Vanilla. Disgusting nose. The palate is flat and smothered in oak. There is some ripe fruit there, but I can't tell whether the sickly sweetness is from the oak or the fruit or both, but it tastes dry (no RS I think). Disgusting stuff.
Blind dessert:
Heidi Schroek Ruster Ausbruch 2004
Rot. Tons of it. The palate was unctuous and rotten, but has adequate acidity (a bit more would be welcome though) and isn't flabby despite being massively sweet. Fun to drink for a 4cl glass but I feel that I've had enough sugar for a week.