WTN: Over the top winetasting

Notes from today's tapas lunch at Barcino Gourmet. The theme: Over-the-top (OTT) wines. A purely educational tasting so no competition or blind tasting.

Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - From South Africa and with a bit of Semillon in the mix as well. Strong capsicum. Sweet pepper juice. When this warmed up a bit, it wasn't just capsicum but it turned into mild chili pepper as well; something I've never experienced before. This got my vote for the most over-the-top wine. Interesting wine if taken in small quantities. Not really something I want to stick with throughout a meal.

Jayson Chardonnay 2006 - Napa. Oaky, buttery, silky. Hint of orange. Spicy finish. I guess this would be OTT if you're not used to California Chardonnay. For me, this is a relatively balanced example of the style. So far, no Chardonnay even comes close to some Selby Chardonnays I tried a few years back. This got 3 votes for the most OTT wine.

Franciscan Cuvee Sauvage Chardonnay 2005 - Woody. Reasonably good fruit. Then a very dry finish with good length. I hated the bitter, woody finish on this wine.

Caymus Conundrum 2005 - Silky, sweet. Not an OTT wine in my opinion. Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Chardonnay.

Vina Cobos Bramare Malbec 2005 - A Paul Hobbs wine from Argentina. Very dark. Heat on the nose. Syrupy and oaky. Overripe fruit. Dry finish. Quite soft. Actually, not a bad wine. Big but balanced. Good steak wine. Much, much better than the lower end Paul Hobbs wines from Argentina.

The Old Faithful Northern Exposure Grenache 2006 - McLaren Vale. Very dark. Spicy. Prominent acidity. Very dry finish. Not OTT at all. Good wine.

Seppelt DP 90 Rare Tawny Port - Orange, rust color. Lots of raisins, plum pudding, spice cake. At first though, rather ordinary. All the stuffing came out after about 5 minutes exposure to air. Drunk up much too quickly. Would have been nice to see how this develops after an hour or two in the glass.

Notes from today's tapas lunch at Barcino Gourmet. The theme: Over-the-top (OTT) wines. A purely educational tasting so no competition or blind tasting.

Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - From South Africa and with a bit of Semillon in the mix as well. Strong capsicum. Sweet pepper juice. When this warmed up a bit, it wasn't just capsicum but it turned into mild chili pepper as well; something I've never experienced before. This got my vote for the most over-the-top wine. Interesting wine if taken in small quantities. Not really something I want to stick with throughout a meal.

Nice notes Jay! A questions though if I may. Would you tell me the difference between capsicum and chili pepper? I assume you are talking mostly about the aroma and not flavor. I like the chili aromatic notes on some New Zealand sauvignon blanc wines and will make it a point to try more from SA.

[David M. Bueker]

Bob - if you like chili pepper (specifically jalapeno) notes in Sauvignon Blanc then you need to try the Nobilo wine in my "Charity WIne Tasting" thread.

Bob - if you like chili pepper (specifically jalapeno) notes in Sauvignon Blanc then you need to try the Nobilo wine in my "Charity WIne Tasting" thread.

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Hi David, I read your post on the tasting and had already made a point to look fopr that particular sauvignon blanc. I have not seen the "Icon" bottling locally before, only the entry level wine. However it makes sense that if the entry level is available I should be able to find the Icon as well, and I will look for it.

Notes from today's tapas lunch at Barcino Gourmet. The theme: Over-the-top (OTT) wines. A purely educational tasting so no competition or blind tasting.

Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - From South Africa and with a bit of Semillon in the mix as well. Strong capsicum. Sweet pepper juice. When this warmed up a bit, it wasn't just capsicum but it turned into mild chili pepper as well; something I've never experienced before. This got my vote for the most over-the-top wine. Interesting wine if taken in small quantities. Not really something I want to stick with throughout a meal.

Nice notes Jay! A questions though if I may. Would you tell me the difference between capsicum and chili pepper? I assume you are talking mostly about the aroma and not flavor. I like the chili aromatic notes on some New Zealand sauvignon blanc wines and will make it a point to try more from SA.

Hi Bob,

It had both aroma and flavor of bell pepper and chili pepper which was why it was such a surprise for me. I thought capsicum only referred to sweet peppers but apparently it refers to chili peppers as well. So I was a bit imprecise in my note.

Hi Bob,
It had both aroma and flavor of bell pepper and chili pepper which was why it was such a surprise for me. I thought capsicum only referred to sweet peppers but apparently it refers to chili peppers as well. So I was a bit imprecise in my note.

Thanks for the come back Jay. And thanks for letting me know that I had not missed on the capsicum thing. I usually think of it as a "hot pepper" thing more so than " sweet peppers" The latter are in my thinking more of a "dull" flavor while the peppers with heat are a much "brighter" flavor. They just light up my mouth with more than heat. Thanks again.

Seppelt DP 90 Rare Tawny Port - Orange, rust color. Lots of raisins, plum pudding, spice cake. At first though, rather ordinary. All the stuffing came out after about 5 minutes exposure to air. Drunk up much too quickly. Would have been nice to see how this develops after an hour or two in the glass.

Thanks for the notes Jay. Who decided that the Seppelts DP 90 was OTT? This is a legendary wine in part because its the most awarded wine of any style in the Australian wine show scene. Its a great wine, all you need is a plate of cheeses and nuts and comfy chair.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I brought the Seppelt. I'm the sweet wine junkie in the group so I took it upon myself to bring dessert. Honestly, I wasn't sure if it was over the top as I only tried it once many years ago. The bottle we opened was the last one I had. While it wasn't OTT at first, most of the group decided it qualified after it was allowed to breathe. As a bonus, it being Australia's most awarded wine also made it OTT in another sense, at least that's what one of us pointed out.