The Ultimate Blind Tasting Challenge Saturday February 14, 2009, 6:30pm to late
The Ultimate Blind Tasters
Tasting #1: Old vs. New World White
Two white wines (Wine A & Wine B), both made from the chardonnay grapes but one is from France and the other from Chile.
Nose: Wine A was a shade paler than Wine B, with a light and minerally nose. Wine B had a stronger aroma, with vanilla, coconut and stone fruits – implying oak influence. I would guess that Wine A was most likely aged in old barrels or stainless steel.
Palate: Wine A was refreshing, slightly creamy with an aftertaste reminiscent of grapefruits. Wine B was fruity and simple.
Based on the above observations and the French tradition of using little new oak (on the village grade wine), we would guess that Wine A was produced in France and Wine B in Chile.
Wine A: Louis Latour Macon Villages “Chameroy” 2007 (France)
Wine B: Torres Santa Digna Chardonnay 2008 (Chile)
Tasting #2: Can you tell the price premium
Two white wines (Wine C & Wine D) made by the same winery and made from the same Chardonnay grapes. One was a premier cru and pricier than its village peer.
Nose: Light straw in color, both Wine C & Wine D offered a fresh, citrus nose with mineral notes. When warmed up, Wine C revealed notes of flowers.
Palate: Both medium body and fruity with lemons and creamy apples. Wine C was more complex on the palate, more intriguing, and had a longer length.
Wine C: Louis Latour Chablis Premier Cru 2007 (Pricier)
Wine D: Louis Latour Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006
Tasting #3: New vs. Old World Red
Two red wines (Wine E & Wine F) – one was produced in Bordeaux and the other in Chile. The Bordeaux was made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc; whereas the Chilean red was made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Nose: Wine E was quite closed upon uncorking. With swirling, the wine opened up to a beautiful bouquet of earth, dark cherries and spices. In comparison, Wine F offered redder fruits with hints of sourness.
Palate: Both wines were delicious on the nose. In comparison, Wine F was more tannic and acidic.
From the nose and palate, we would guess that Wine E was the French wine.
Two red wines (Wine G & Wine H) – same producer, same region, but different grapes. One was made from noble grape Merlot and the other from a local grape Carmenere.
Nose: On the appearance, Wine H had a marginally deeper ruby shade. On the nose, both wines were fairly tight upfront. Time or decanting was necessary for the wine to open. The nose was surprisingly similar – black fruits, chocolate, mocca, and sweet spices. On the nose, it was difficult to differentiate the wines.
Palate: Again there were more similarities than differences on the palate. Both wines were smooth and approachable, with soft tannins and plenty of dark cherries and plums. Hints of sweetness can be found in Wine H.
Difficult choice… 50/50 chance…. No wonder Carmenere was confused to be Merlot for the longest time in Chile!
Wine H: Vina Errazuriz Carmenere 2007 (Local grape, though originated from France a long long time ago)
Summary:
The tasting results were interesting – some of us found the Chilean wines more approachable than the French wines. This is not surprising given that most of the wines were blind-tasted before they warmed up (for whites) or had time to open up (for reds).
As for the price premium, few of us preferred the lower priced Bourgogne Chardonnay as it is friendlier and less “steely”.
For the third question, many mistook the Chilean red to be French based on its nose. Interestingly, few teams swapped to the right answer after tasting the wines. I found this often to be the case with Chilean wines. The palate does not necessarily match its aromatic nose.
As for the last set of blind tasting, that was really a blind guessing for most of us. If you haven’t blind-tasted a Merlot vs. a Carmenere before, it is worth a try!
The tasting results were interesting – some of us found the Chilean wines more approachable than the French wines. This is not surprising given that most of the wines were blind-tasted before they warmed up (for whites) or had time to open up (for reds).
