Blind Spot

Château Malescot St. Exupéry

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2019

2019 vintage. For Malescot, this came across as tight. This producer is usually giving and voluptuous upon release and the first few years. Solid, yet not great. Slap a mandatory "do not approach" restraining order on this for a 5-spot. 7.21.23. — 2 years ago

Severn, Ray and 14 others liked this

Château Latour

Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1945

Tasted blind. Deep purple color. Looks very young, compared to the 45 Margaux next to it. Almost opaque. Notes of black fruit, cracked walnuts, sweet fruit, raspberry and some cedar desk. Super rich in the mouth. Seems young and is firm, but tannins are softened and the mouthfeel is velvet touch. Long finish. It peacocks all night. The walnuts thing leads my guess to Latour, but can this be the 45? Is it a 61 or 82? Could be... I go with it being a 59 given how young it seems. Just an amazing bottle of wine, open for ~9 hours by the time we left, it seemed to effortlessly power along. Thanks Stan! — 4 years ago

Shay, Andrew and 28 others liked this
Brent Young

Brent Young Premium Badge

Wow 😯. Fantastic. 9+ hours is impressive 👍

Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga

Riserva Rancia Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend

Vin
9.3

Medium body, and another reviewer was spot in with the sour cherry comment. Refreshing. — 5 years ago

Domaine Auguste Clape

Cornas Syrah 2016

An intriguing wine with depth. Notes of black cherry and purple fruit awashed with a finish that does not relent. Violet and a slight pepper quality. Just hits the spot. Paired with a heavy stew. — 6 years ago

Paul, Milissa and 27 others liked this

Olga Raffault

Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 1977

3 decades served blind where most of the group guessed Pinot grape & thought it could be from Burgundy. Groups favorite was the 89. — 7 years ago

Keith, Ryan and 9 others liked this

Château Palmer

Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 1955

Tasted blind. Tawny color, translucent with amber rims. Notes of black cherry, cedar, some spice and a little barnyard floor. Sweet fruit in the mouth, with tannins fully resolved. Guessed 1955 Calon Segur. Perfect looking bottle, the cork revealed this bottle was reconditioned by the Chateau in 2000. — 7 years ago

Shay, Eric and 16 others liked this

Dominus Estate

Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1991

Earthy with coffee undertones. A bit of cooked meat. Tasted blind and guessed 2003 Angelus. Simply beautiful — 8 years ago

Eric, Eric and 15 others liked this

Krug

Brut Champagne Blend 2002

Another night, another insane Krug. Tessa’s palate has certainly been calibrated for this because the blind was instantly untangled by her - this is Krug… 02’ perhaps? Boom! Thanks for sharing this, Toni. Typical Krug opulence, yet so energetic. Just starting to mature, it combined ripeness, great structure, and phenolic grip, with deep mineral drive and acidity. Just hitting it’s stride, but I reckon it still has a long way to go. Love it! — 3 years ago

Josh, Nicolas and 13 others liked this
Severn G

Severn G Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Damn 🤤

Bodegas y Viñedos Vega Sicilia

Unico Ribera del Duero Tempranillo Blend 1961

Tasted blind. Dark reddish tawny. Mostly translucent. Amazing nose. Powerful. A spectrum of notes including red fruit, cola, pencil lead, black truffles, coffee, blood sausage and some dry dark soil. Animalistic. Massive fruit and structure with a long finish. Someone says "honey ham" as a note in the nose and we all agree (first ever note involving the word "ham"). This was a wine where everyone's score or appreciation greatly improved over the evening. A best ever Unico for me. (M's 60th bday 4th of 14) — 5 years ago

Josh, Jan and 14 others liked this
David L

David L Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Quite the year to be born. Damn… Insanity tasting! Happy birthday!!!

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2000

Very different than what we usually drink. On the nose I get dusty & musty with my old dark fruit. On the pallet it confirms the dusty and musty but with gentle dark fruit notes. Medium acid and low alcohol. Not sure what the sweet spot is for the wine but it’s really good. — 5 years ago

Colgin Cellars

IX Estate Napa Valley Red Blend 2006

Shay A
9.5

Today was an absolutely fantastic Friday hosting at the City Club by @Dan Fitzgerald. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert wine. Great job Dan!

The third of four Colgin’s served blind. This and the fourth were my favorites and both were different. This was much brighter and had a sweet core. Very perfumed...potpourri, violets, black cherry, cocoa dusted dates. Starts light at the entry and gains density as it hits the mid palate and finish. Retains fruit from start to finish but it’s not a show stealer, simply accompanies everything else. Total balance. My guess was between Napa Cabernet or Syrah.
— 6 years ago

joe leatherwoodDan FitzgeraldMark Flesher
with joe, Dan and 3 others
Mark, "Odedi" and 36 others liked this
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

07 Cariad, 07 IX, 06 IX, and 05 Cariad all tasted blind together. Compared to all the others, my pour of this was GONE before the other three. And it wasn't even close. This is a stellar Napa Cabernet that went exceptionally well with a ribeye steak. BlackBerry, hint of truffle, chocolate, herbs, wildflowers, a little bit delicate but still full throttle and full-bodied from start to finish. Some people were guessing the entire lineup was Shiraz, and with this one and the 05 Cariad I could definitely understand that guess. In my opinion, best wine on the table, even versus the 1963 Berry Brothers & Rudd Grahams!
9.6

Dunn Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine amazed me, I’ve had it before and it’s never shown this well, maybe just hitting it’s stride? Beautiful perfumed floral nose ( never thought I would say that about a Dunn), exquisite balance, the fruit is slightly sweet, the tannins are fully integrated and refined, with just the right amount of acid in the finish. I would never guess mountain fruit or let alone Dunn if tasted blind. Can’t wait to try it again in a couple of years. — 7 years ago

John, Eric and 33 others liked this
Billy L.

Billy L.

@Mike Davila -Great Vintage for Napa! Dunn normally takes bottle age to show it’s stuff with mellowed tannins. Kudos on waiting! Cheers 🍇🍷👍🏻👏🏻

Laughing Stock Vineyards

Blind Trust Red Blend 2015

Had at Lake Louise 2nd night. 2015 year. — 8 years ago

Château Montrose

Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2012

Delectable Wine
9.4

The 2012 Montrose has a taut and focused bouquet with crisp blackberry, tobacco and light earthy scents on the nose. Fine vigour and class evident here. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins on the entry, fine acidity, lightly spiced with a nicely proportioned and focused finish. This is a solid, almost swarthy Montrose, though it is surpassed by more recent vintages. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, September 2022)
— 3 years ago

Rob liked this

Domaine du Pegau

Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2005

Popped and poured from my cellar. The cork was absolutely perfect. The 2005 pours a rather turbid, deep garnet at nearly 17 years old. There's quite a bit of fine sediment that clings to the edge of the glass with each swirl. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, this was initially a bit grumpy but within minutes, it relaxed and started to show some real charm. A fully developed wine, this is becoming a bit of a Leather Daddy, full of leather (obviously), bruised and desiccated red, black and blue fruits, Christmas spice fruit cake, coffee, damp earth, and candied nuts. On the palate, the fruit remains quite stunning and confirms the mix of bruised and desiccated fruit with a sort of sherried character. Loads of salmiakki (salted licorice), spiced nuts, pepper, coffee and, you guessed it, leather. The wine was dry, technically, but almost gives the sensation of some RS with all of the over-ripe fruits and the texture was almost sappy, in some ways. However, while this was absolutely rich and well-endowed, it was not cloying. Tannins have fully integrated (though still present) and the acid was like a girdle keeping everything held together. This remains a rather large personality even if it's showing its age. Definitely in a lovely spot...but how much longer will that last? If this wasn't my last bottle, I would probably be drinking these over the next five years unless you want the full Leather Daddy experience...which is okay if that's your thing. — 4 years ago

Jason, Alex and 13 others liked this
Jason Brater

Jason Brater

Ooh 05! Nice.

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé

Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Musigny Grand Cru Pinot Noir 1990

Tasted blind. Reddish tawny. Nose is closed and not yielding much. I get cranberries, some cherries, iron and stones, some wood. Has a high pitched character to it. Has some pucker in it yet. Tight with ample acidity. I guess 97 Vogue Bonnes Mares. In my experience this wine has had some variations in its performance. Today it was better than most, but suffered by not getting ample air before it was served. — 5 years ago

Martin, Tom and 20 others liked this
Alan Weinberg

Alan Weinberg

too Cabernet-like. Not a fan past 30 years.
Mike Saviage

Mike Saviage Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Alan Weinberg Try the 98... Their harvest was well timed that year and the juice is great

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2009

GPL is probably the best Pauillac you can get for the money & at £60 paid this top vintage is still improving lovely in a great spot already 😉

📍Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2009

🏵 95 points

🍇 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot & 2% Cabernet Franc

🍷 Opaque blackened deep ruby

👃 Minerals, gravel & broken pencil through soft smoked oak infused blackberry w/ damson plum, red liquorice, soggy earth, mocha, herbs, black tea, purple flower & blackcurrant - get that lot up your nose & snort like a little piggy wiggy 🐷 😍

👄 Med smooth silky body of black berry & currant in crushed rock mineral w/ a plummy mocha raspberry liquorice follow through

🎯 Long blackberry driven dark fruit creamy plump kiss bathed in choc mocha, liquorice & red cherry peekaboo
— 7 years ago

Chris, Severn and 31 others liked this

Château Lynch-Bages

Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1996

Somm David T
9.6

On the nose, sweet & sour fruits with a touch of barnyard and fresh red flowers.

The body is medium to full. The fruits are gloriously ripe & slightly candied liqueured. Blackberries, dark plum, dark cherries, strawberries & strawberries. Touch of pyrazines. Ground powdery limestone, leather, soft graphite, dry herbs, dry stems, used leather, cedar, fresh tobacco, cigar ash, cherry cola, black turned earth with bright red florals. Great acidity and a well balanced finish that lasts minutes. It’s in a great spot and will continue to improve for another 8-10 years.
— 8 years ago

Ira, Jason and 29 others liked this

R. López de Heredia

Viña Tondonia Reserva Rioja Tempranillo Blend 2002

Wow. This is young, and the nose is a bit of dark red berry suffusing a sea of resolving American Oak. The American oak is so pronounced that, had I tasted this blind, I might have taken it for Ridge... :) This has decades ahead, even if -only- a Riserva. Like La Rioja Alta 904, a fantastic value in old school Rioja... — 8 years ago

P, Eric and 12 others liked this