Hundred Acre wine tasting

Tasted Wednesday, November 9, 2022 by Quinn05 with 391 views

Introduction

Organised for the people who couldn't make the dinner with the winemaker. Everyone was asked to bring a bottle, so it turned into quite a special evening.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

A nice Chardonnay to start. Non-blind.

Flight 2 (3 Notes)

Then the other whites. For two of them the surprise was spoiled, so only one was blind.

Flight 3 (3 Notes)

Some Pegau samples. Non-blind.

  • 2020 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 93 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Barrel sample. To be bottled next week. This is not the definitive assemblage.
    Very elegant, a "gourmand year" as another taster said. Distinct Kirsch-liquer on the nose. Gritty tannins. Something medicinal on the nose. A bit rough and unpolished as well, but that is more often than not the case with barrel samples.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2020 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo 97 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Barrel sample. To be bottled next week. This is not the definitive assemblage. Very, very similar to the Cuvée Reserve, but sooo much more concentrated. This is truly exceptional stuff.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2019 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée P.O.L. 75 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Barrel sample. 50% Grenache, 50% Cinsault. 15.5% alcohol. First on Guigal La Turque barrels, which destroyed the wine, then on Burgundy (I forget which domaine) barrels in an attempt to restore the damage done by the Guigal barrels. The idea was to make something elegant, which has clearly failed. This is like a "Port-light", as one of the tasters remarked. It's all over the place too. I'm not convinced...

    Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 4 (3 Notes)

Then onto the Napa's, starting off with some amazing older examples. Blind.

  • 1993 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Blind. Wow, beautiful fruit that seems so very young. Very light and elegant, beautiful balance. This is a very good example of classic Napa.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1995 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

    Blind. Some paprika in the nose, with some people calling a high percentage of Cabernet Franc. Very young and fresh, obviously mountain fruit with beautiful tension. This bottle was aged at the winery for 20 years, so provenance was excellent.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1996 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Anniversary Release 97 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    Blind. Vibrant with lots of fruit. Young fruit too, with most tasters calling 2001. Beautiful focus of the fruit. "Aristocratic", as one of us remarked. Round and smooth. Much more Californian than the Togni. And there is definitely still potential, I'm very curious how this will be in 5 years.

    Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 5 (3 Notes)

Blind.

Flight 6 (4 Notes)

Blind.

  • 2014 Cayuse Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    Blind. This definitely wasn't Cabernet. Very funky nose. Meaty and smokey. I'm not a fan of the funky nose, not the type of Syrah I like to drink. Someone said the vineyard is called En Chamberlin because it's supposed to be similair to Gevrey-Chambertin. I hope that was a joke.

    Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2013 Ridge Monte Bello 100 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Blind. Dark red with some purple and a delicate watery edge. I was truly convinced that our host had put a Premier or Deuxième GCC Bordeaux in the line-up to fool us. Beautifully complex, black fruit, cassis, pine needles, some herbacious notes. And so very balanced and elegant. I have fallen in love with this wine and was truly amazed when it was revealed as a Californian wine. I have no experience with other Ridge Monte Bello wines, but I think I can safely assume the 2013 vintage lives up to the hype it gets. I think this has so much more potential, drink from 2030, if you have to willpower to wait that long.

    Read 5 Comments / Post a Comment / 12 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2013 Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo 99 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Blind. You can clearly notice this is an amazing wine, and it is definitely worthy of 100 points in the future. But today, it just wasn't giving anything. It started of very shy already and then shut down completely after 15 minutes or so. Kept the glass around for 2 more hours and it didn't change anymore. This is a wine that at this point really just needs time, not air. Don't touch this until at least 2035.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2017 BOND Vecina 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Hedonistic for any other category, but rather elegant for a Napa. Big red fruit, lots of cherry, the fruit is very precise, which is in this case what I mean with elegant. Clearly from a warm year though. Not as badly affected by the wildfires as other Bond wines, the smoke taint here is barely noticeable.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 7 (4 Notes)

Then after 17 wines as a warming up, the Hundred Acre wines for which we were initially invited. Non-blind.

Flight 8 (3 Notes)

Back to other Napa's, two Schafers and a Colgin, and back to blind tasting. Blind.

  • 2005 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    Blind. Very big, fruit forward Napa Cab. Drinking amazingly well right now.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2015 Colgin IX Estate 96 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Blind. I don't remember a whole lot about this wine. All I know is that I liked it, and it had suprisingly high acidity, giving it a rather fresh feel.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2010 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 96 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

    Blind. Wow, what a difference 5 years can make. Compared to the 2005, I can safely conclude this is absolutely not ready. Wait 7 more years (because this one I think will need a little more time). And while you're waiting, if you're craving a SHS, crack open a bottle of 2005. That will surely provide you with much more pleasure.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 9 (3 Notes)

Two very good wines, against one mediocre wine, not a very fair flight. Blind.

Flight 10 (2 Notes)

Same vineyard, different winemakers. Blind.

Flight 11 (1 Note)

Port to end the evening, which turned out to be another Hundred Acre wine. Non-blind.

Closing

If anyone who attended reads this. Thank you for your insights, your great company and of course bringing such amazing wines!

×
×