WTN: Short notes on 6 Cabs blind

Notes from last week's lunch at Old Manila with 6 Cabs blind. As a preliminary we had some Champagne and 3 Sauvignon Blancs.

Piper Heidsieck Champagne Brut NV - Rich and surprisingly deep flavor. An impressive NV.

Honig Rutherford Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - Smoky, sweetish. Powerful finish. A little buttery. Together with the smoke, this signaled oak treatment to me.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - Classic SB. Guava and green pepper.

Casa Marin Laurel Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - From Chile. Oddly, there seemed to be a bit of earth. Green pepper and ripe fruit. Strong flavors. Powerful wine.

We followed the whites with 6 Cabernets blind - 2 from Bordeaux and one from a non-mainstream wine country. Our job was to spot which was which.

#1 Rich. Just a little syrupy. New World? - Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 1998.

#2 Tanic, vibrant. Good acidity. Ripe. Later, slightly pruney. Coffee. Turned syrupy after 2 hours. Excellent. New Word? - Viader Cabernet Sauvignon 1999.

#3 Tannic. Young. Difficult to evaluate. Not Bordeaux? - Chateau Pavie Decesse 1998.

#4 High acidity. Very leafy. Got some age to it. Bordeaux? - Takahata Winery Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 from Japan!

#5 Lightish. Somewhat hollow. Cedary. Bordeaux? - Chateau Leoville-Barton 2001.

#6 Barnyardy. Soft and ripe. Rich. Could be a Pavie. Tannins coming out after 2 hours. - Almaviva 2001.

Last wine was dessert.

Chateau Coutet 2003 - Barsac. Classic nose. Sweet but not cloying. Gentle, silky mouthfeel. Burnt sugar and honey. Lovely balance. Long finish.

[Jenise]

Not familiar with Takahata. Sounds New Zealandish, is it?

Not familiar with Takahata. Sounds New Zealandish, is it?

Oh, sorry. Forgot to indicate it's from Japan!

Interesting to see how different palates approach wines. Perhaps in part because of regional preferences.

Classic SB. Guava and green pepper.

For me, Loire-focused, Classic SB is gooseberry and minerals. Guava sounds 'overripe'. (Although I guess that also depends on the ripeness of the guava!).

slightly pruney. Coffee. Turned syrupy after 2 hours. Excellent.

I definitely would not have followed those other descriptors with 'Excellent'!

But, sounds like a fun tasting and interesting that you had a Japanese wine.

Notes from last week's lunch at Old Manila with 6 Cabs blind. As a preliminary we had some Champagne and 3 Sauvignon Blancs.

#4 High acidity. Very leafy. Got some age to it. Bordeaux? - Takahata Winery Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 from Japan!

How else can one hold a true blind tasting if one can't have a japanese Cabernet in the mix? Nice notes and this one sounds fun, as usually is over there with the blind tastings.

Interesting to see how different palates approach wines. Perhaps in part because of regional preferences.

Classic SB. Guava and green pepper.

If you are referring to "guava", yes I agre that it may be regional preferencees. However, even here in the US, I've come across quite a few notes using tropical fruits like kiwi, mango, passion fruit, granadilla (I don't even know what that is), ripe tamarind and of course guava, when describing sauvignon blanc from NZ.

If you are referring to "guava", yes I agre that it may be regional preferencees. However, even here in the US, I've come across quite a few notes using tropical fruits like kiwi, mango, passion fruit, granadilla (I don't even know what that is), ripe tamarind and of course guava, when describing sauvignon blanc from NZ.

I meant regional in terms of the origin of the Sauvignon Blanc (although it is also interesting to track the different descriptors according to the regional origins of the writer).

Because the initial note said : Classic SB. Guava and green pepper.

And while guava may be 'classic' for NZ Sauvignon Blanc, from my French-centered perspective nothing from NZ is 'classic' anything