Guess that Red
My guesses
rank nose color palate
A 3 syrah- some funk some orange to edge hot dog, low tannin, must
B 6 grenache- cherry more violet hot, fruity, vanilla
C 5 petite syrah fading more than i'd expect bigger body, meaty, blackberry
D 2 cab- caramel dark purple lots of vanilla wood,
E 7 zin- vegetal spice some orange to edge cherry, low tannin, vegemite funk, fish sauce
F 1 pinot noir fading to edge dark cherry,
G 4 sangio- darker purple cherry, rasberry, fruit, higher etoh
H 8 tempranillo- violet blackberry
Answers
A 8th 76 points 0017 sangio $10 12.5%
B 6th 59 points 0021 syrah $26 14.9%
C 7th 61 points 0020 tempranillo $10 13%
D 1st 25 points 2520 petite syrah 15.4%
E 4th 50 points 0200 $19 cab 14.4%
F 2nd 31 points 3230 $49 pinot 14.2%
G 3rd 38points 2210 JC $35 zin 15.3%
H 5th 54 points 4003 garnacha $14 14.5
# 1st place #2nd place #3rd place #4th place
In our "Guess The Red" format, we have eight wines each from a different varietal, but all from the same vintage. In addition to ranking them, we try to guess what the varietal is of each one. Usually the vintage that the wines is from 10-20 years from the current vintage. In principle, this makes the guessing a bit more difficult, as one has to identify the varietal character submerged under the maturation characteristics due to bottle age. As an extreme case, one might even argue that wines of different varietals eventually converge in characteristics as they get old, making them very difficult to guess.
Tonight we will take the opposite tack -- all the wines will be from the 2004 vintage. I've also tried to pick wines which are 100% varietal to make this as pure of a test as possible. Finally, many of the wines are some of the best values in their respective varietals currently available, so this is a good lineup to try if you are looking for wines for the holidays. Some tasting notes:
Petite Syrah: 2004 Rosenblum "Heritage Clones", San Francisco Bay (15.4%): "Delicious Petite, with remarkable flavors. Smooth, rich and polished, with layers of huckleberry, blueberry, plum and a meaty, beefy cola edge. Plush and saturated on the palate, it coats the mouth, adding a tier of _mocha and spice." (90/100, Wine Spectator) "... stunning ... A dense ruby/purple hue is accompanied by glorious aromas of creme de cassis, vanilla, incense, crushed rocks, blackberries, and smoke. It is a full-bodied, tannic, chewy, rich, pedal-to-the-metal effort with low acidity as well as ripe tannin. The latter two components will make it difficult to resist, but it should age well for 15-20 years." (92/100, Robert Parker)
Zinfandel: 2004 JC Cellars "Arrowhead Mountain", Sonoma Valley (15.3%): No reviews available, but from a new vineyard for JC Cellars (and also used by Copain) which shows a lot of promise. Very rich ripe raspberries and spicy oak overtones.
Pinot Noir: Siduri "Amber Ridge Vineyard", Russian River Valley (14.2%): "A pleasantly earthy style, with mineral, sage, wild berry and dusty raspberry fruit that's well-balanced and supported by firm tannins, ending with a complex berry and mineral aftertaste. Drink now through 2010." (91/100, Wine Spectator)
Cabernet Sauvignon: 2004 Cameron Hughes "Lot 16", Stag's Leap District (14.4%): This is the sixteenth lot from Cameron Hughes venture, which is a wine broker who buys wines in bulk from select vineyards in Napa and Sonoma. In contrast to Charles Shaw (aka Bronco Wine Company) who aims for reasonable wines in the $2/bottle category, Cameron Hughes tries to find outstanding wines which would sell in the $35-50 range, that he can buy in bulk and sell for $12-20. In contrast to Charles Shaw's nickname of "Two Buck Chuck", Cameron Hughes nickname is "Ten Clam Cam". Each of the lots are from a unique vineyard and varietal, and tend to sell out in a few days or weeks. In any case, this is a lovely wine in the $18 range. Notes from Cam: "Beautiful, elegant nose of cherries, berries and violets. Once on the palate though one notices something very different about this wine; incredibly smooth entry leads into a complex mouthful of fruit flavors rises up with virtually no detectible tannin, a hallmark of great Stags Leap Cabernet. About as balanced a wine as one could get. Lovely finish is pure fruit and chocolate. Pristine and pure Cabernet!". The wine is primarily from a single vineyard just east of the Silverado Trail in the heart of the Stags Leap District.
Sangiovese: 2004 Di Majo Norante "Molise", Terra Degli Osci, Italy (12.5%): "One of the world s best values in Sangiovese is the 2004 Sangiovese IGT. Aged six months in large foudres, it offers up aromas of strawberries, black cherries, damp earth, spice box, and fruit cake. This expressive, medium-bodied, fleshy Italian red is meant to be drunk over the next 1-2 years." (90/100, Robert Parker)
Tempranillo: 2004 Torremoron, Ribera del Duero, Spain (13%): "Reminiscent of a high quality Zinfandel with lower alcohol and less body, the 2004 Torremoron exhibits crisp acidity in its fruity, pure, delightful personality. With surprising character as well as loads of cherry and raspberry fruit, it represents a naked _expression of Ribera del Duero since no wood is utilized. Enjoy this Spanish red over the next several years." (88/100, Robert Parker)
Syrah: 2004 Novy, Russian River Valley (14.9%): No reviews available. This is primarily from the Christensen Vineyard from a cooler microclimate. It has lush black cherries and blackberries with white pepper overtones.
Grenache: 2004 Vinos Sin-Ley "G5-Puerta Bonita", Madrid, Spain (14.5%)": "The extraordinary 2004 G5 Garnacha (from 80-120-year old vines) is pure kirsch liqueur, reminiscent of some of the older-styled Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Papes. (However, when is the last time anyone paid $13 for a bottle of Rayas? Perhaps 1959?) This is a super, elegant, pure effort offering that wonderful liquid minerality and raspberry kirsch liqueur-like component that makes Rayas so special. The good news is that production is around 2,500 cases. Run ... don't walk to latch onto a few bottles of this beauty!" (93/100, Robert Parker)
