WTN: 8 blind reds

I don't often taste blind, so this was interesting and fun.


1998 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas Réserve
This smelled and tasted like Southern France to me, although I couldn't get more specific. The nose doesn't thrill me, lots of warm sun-baked fruits, but the palate has a lovely silky elegance, despite the high-octane body. Not my favorite style of wine, but it has its place.

2018 Bitouzet-Prieur Volnay Pitures
This did not feel like Burgundy, too ripe/dark and too stern/structured. After the reveal, makes sense with the vintage and the vineyard! Although it also fleshed out and got more approachable and enjoyable with air.

2000 Domaine Saint Martin Chambertin Clos de Beze
An easy call: corked.

2009 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Champimonts
Felt much younger than 2009. Such juicy unevolved fruit. Didn’t scream Burgundy with the flavors, but after the reveal, Beaune makes sense. Another wine that got more enjoyable with air.

2019 By Farr Shiraz
I was very confident this was Northern Rhone syrah from a warm vintage and a not-particularly high-status vineyard, maybe a solid St Joseph. I was wrong on the continent, but that's just because I have no Australian reference points! Apparently Geelong is a 'cool climate' region for Australia, but then 2019 was a hot early-ripening vintage. So my analysis was technically correct. A fun straightforward and ripe wine with some classic savory syrah elements that is a great choice for tricking European palates when served blind!

2010 Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses Île des Vergelesses
My bottle, so it wasn’t blind to me. I thought it was the most textbook Burgundy nose of the bunch and others agreed as they quickly IDed the region, although most put it in the Côte de Nuits. The red raspberry fruit is very seductive and in a lovely spot for my palate, starting to go silky but still fresh and lively. And all very elegantly-proportioned in that 2010 mode.

2019 Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo Bussia
I immediately thought Piedmont for the dark fruit and linear chalky tannic structure. The minty/menthol elements should have led me to Barolo, but it was fairly crisp, so I thought Alto Piemonte or maybe Ruchè or a crazy ripe Grignolino. After the reveal, it does make sense, probably needs more time to unwind. But my first time with the producer and I thought it was very nice, with delicate elegant character despite the dark firm fruit.

1997 Greenock Creek Seven Acre Shiraz
Again, I have no reference point for Australia, so there was no way I would guess this. Plus, the fruit was extremely young and unevolved, I thought it was the 2020s. This also doesn't have the 'classic' syrah markers that I found in the By Farr, and it was less enjoyable for me. Moderately-framed in the mouth, so it's not an oaky ooze monster, but still too ripe and high octane for my preferences. But an interesting trick with that unevolved fruit!

Corked Clos de Beze.

-Paul W.

Indeed sad about corked CdBeze. I've never heard of producer, but would assume with Domaine in name they must own a plot in Beze.
Blind tasting is always fun (and you did pretty well overall, better than I likely would)

Indeed sad about corked CdBeze. I've never heard of producer, but would assume with Domaine in name they must own a plot in Beze.

Yes, I've never heard of them either. The internet says it's a small family domaine, and they sell for much less than the big names.

It was interesting because it reeked of cardboard and there was no flavor, but some others at the table thought it was "corked on the nose, but not the palate" or "it's only a little corked and still delicious". Maybe I'm crazy, but these things have always been binary for me, and when corked, I don't want to drink it!

[David M. Bueker]

You fared better than I did at my buddy’s blind tasting last night!

You fared better than I did at my buddy’s blind tasting last night!

It was all based on the wines, as I didn't know other people's collecting habits very well. But, reinforced how much it depends on what you consume regularly. I would have no frame of reference for anything from Spain, or so many other countries.

[David M. Bueker]

I got completely stumped by a 1969 Aussie Shiraz blend, among other things.

I got completely stumped by a 1969 Aussie Shiraz blend, among other things.

Not sure I know any American likely to get close on that one!

It was interesting because it reeked of cardboard and there was no flavor, but some others at the table thought it was "corked on the nose, but not the palate" or "it's only a little corked and still delicious". Maybe I'm crazy, but these things have always been binary for me, and when corked, I don't want to drink it!

The ability to detect TCA varies from person to person. Some lucky people can't detect it at all. I ran into one of them at a wine tasting event in Yakima Valley. He gave me a pour that positively reeked of TCA. When I told him it was corked, he poured himself a sample from the same bottle and said it was OK. I told him to get a second opinion from someone else working for the winery. That person took one sniff, screwed up his face in disgust, and took the offending bottle away.

There is a partial solution to corked wine: soak the wine in lots of plastic cling wrap. TCA binds to the plastic. I once had a bottle of grand cru Burgundy that I had lovingly cellared for over a decade. On opening it was badly corked. I couldn't bear to pour it down the drain, so I tried the cling wrap treatment. It worked. The wine was not the spectacular experience I was expecting, but it was drinkable.

-Paul W.