Blind Date Wines

Château Margaux

Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1989

Quite light spices , coffee , sous bois , herbal hints . On the palate this has good density and spicy , menthol , dark coffee stained fruit , some slightly gritty tannin . It comes across as quite ripe but with balanced acidity and quite good menthol tinged length . This was served blind from a half bottle . I was putting this in the 80s and Napa , not Bordeaux! This had to do with the texture and quite ripe , generous fruit profile . Drinking perfectly now , I wouldn’t wait any longer — 14 days ago

Ira, Tom and 11 others liked this

Leeuwin Estate

Art Series Margaret River Chardonnay 2016

Presented double-blind. The wine pours a light straw color with medium viscosity and no signs of particles or gas. On the nose, the wine is developing with tart and ripe notes of apple, pear, underripe pineapple, lemon curd, nuts and minerals. I felt like there was some deft use of oak. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+, bordering on high acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and chocked full of minerals. My immediate impression was Bourgogne Blanc and I was having a hard time getting away from it. So I called Chardonnay, from France, Burgundy, Chassagne-Montrachet with 3-5 years of age. Gosh dammit! Margaret River strikes again!!! Blind, I always seem to call these Chablis or some other high quality white Burg. And I adore the Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnays. They always impress me. Drink now through 2036. — 4 months ago

"Odedi", Jeroen and 11 others liked this

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 1986

Tasted blind. Everyone was at least 5-10 years off. Hard to believe a 1986 could taste so fresh. Library release. — a year ago

Daniel and LM liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2011

2011 vintage. Decanted with some sed and tasted after 1 hour. Bigg structure with plenty of tobacco, underbrush and dark fruit. A complex kid. Lots of moving parts but really unified currently and moving towards a common goal. Total BDX ringer in a pricey blind. This has miles to go. 8.2.24. — 9 months ago

Jan, jesus and 19 others liked this

Château Lafite Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

We could not believe this was 1996. Young gorgeous fruit in a wine I tasted blind that I thought might be 2009. Gorgeous… a revelation about what a nearly 30 year old Bordeaux could be! Wow! — 2 days ago

Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2007

No formal notes . Pretty deep Amber , copper colour . Intense marmalade , saffron , creme caramel . Rich on the palate with rich marmalade , saffron notes . Good acidity , but rich. Good length . This is drinkable now and shows quite an advanced colour , though due to its richness will probably carry on delivering for another 20 years , perhaps longer .

This was a rather fascinating evening put together by our incredibly generous host. All 2007 reds were served blind in two flights: 1st Mouton, Haut Brion, Cheval Blanc , La Mission Haut Brion then Latour , Lafite , Petrus and Margaux . Overall the wines showed well , and were mostly enjoyable to drink now , though there is no rush . This somewhat maligned vintage can give a lot of enjoyment in the right environment, I certainly wouldn’t hold back from opening or purchasing any of these wines . They mostly show good density of fruit , personality and elegance , with good freshness. These are not powerful wines , and at times perhaps the fruit can be a little cooler or greener but I was pleasantly surprised by the way they performed , just goes to show you should never write off a vintage without trying the wines !
— 3 months ago

Anthony, Andrew and 13 others liked this
Audrey Nadeau

Audrey Nadeau

H a p p i n e s s!

Écluse

Blind Dog Midnight Run Cuvée Red Blend

Very good blend for a good cause! Delicious fruit bomb 😊 — 7 months ago

Château Mouton Rothschild

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2007

No formal notes . medium deep ruby , medium bright ruby rim. Quite spicy a little oak noticeable at first . Mixed dark fruits . A bit more round and juicy on the palate , good acidity , slightly grippy but polished tannins . This becomes a bit more restrained and reserved after a while. Served blind , I actually put this as Haut Brion , due to its generous personality, and polished tannins. Overall showed well in the flight was my top wine (though the Cheval Blanc may well be better in absolute terms) . Can be enjoyed now , though has the substance to last a further decade or so, a good showing for the Mouton. — 3 months ago

Anthony, Andrew and 10 others liked this

Phifer Pavitt

Date Night Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two hours. The 2021 “Date Night…” Cabernet Sauvignon pours a deep ruby purple with an impenetrable core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with tart and ripe notes of black fruit: blackberries, black plum, black currants, purple flowers, some tobacco, vanilla and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. While this is meant to be their workhorse wine, it’s got plenty of stuffing for aging and I think this vintage would appreciate some cellar time. Already tasty though. Drink now through 2036. — 7 months ago

ESF, Tom and 8 others liked this

Phifer Pavitt

Date Night Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2023 “Date Night…” Sauvignon Blanc is made more in the Sancerre style than the Bordeaux Blanc style. It’s bursting with grapefruit and verbena; herbal and grassy. There is some lovely acid and minerals too. This is a very strong example of this style in a New World way. Drink now. — 7 months ago

ESF, Tom and 5 others liked this