Speed tasting at the Wine Bloggers Conference

Yesterday we participated in the Wine Bloggers Conference speed tasting event. Every five minutes, a new pourer would come around, introduce his/her wine, and pour a taste for the table. We had five minutes to taste it, talk about it, and then write down our impressions of the wine. We tasted 13 wines, and our reviews are below.

Clos la Chance 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – At 14.5% alcohol, this wine has lots of medium-fine tannins and is spicy and dark, with heavy extraction due to cold soaking, pour-overs, and extended maceration – that is, it is “Parker-processed.” It is estate grown, and at $30, it is a big American Cab, priced about right, but lacking the complexity of the “best” California cabs. ($30)

Boho Vineyards 2006 Central Coast Chardonnay – This wine is cheap, at $24 for a bag in box of 3 L, which is four bottles. The winemakers claim this bag in a box wine will keep for six weeks in fridge. It has a nose of oak and misplaced herbaceous notes – all in all, not a lot of varietal character. Being a little oily, it reminds us of a Texas Chardonnay. ($24)

James David Cellars 2007 Muscat Blanc – This wine costs $18 retail, and it is a fantastic bargain. The color is straw-gold, with a great light-medium body. Unusually, it is a dry Muscat, at 14.5% alcohol and 0.17% residual sugar. This wine has a nice, light, crisp amount of acid, and would pair well with seafood. This wine excels in the nose, with green apple, melon, and citrus. The mouth feel is very round, and the finish is long but delicate. ($18)

Twisted Oak Winery 2006 The Spaniard – Produced in Calaveras County, this wine very dark and extracted. It is made from 66% Tempranillo, 20% Graciano, and 14.6% Granache. This wine is better on the nose than in the mouth, showing classic Spanish character with a nose of leather and dark fruit. However, something seems a little off – in the mid palate the wine is a little sour. This is a huge wine, and if that is your thing, you would love this wine. ($49)

Dry Creek 2006 Dark Horse Zinfandel – “Wine for cowboys” is what Mike Loykasek, the winemaker said about this wine. At 15.4% alcohol, there is sweet oak, fruit, and pepper on the nose. There is plenty of fruit but not overly ripe, which is surprising for the alcohol level. ($34)

Small Vines 2006 Pinot Noir from Sonoma Coast – This is a single vineyard bottling from a 1.3 acre vineyard. At14.3% alcohol, it is a typical fruit forward CA Pinot Noir. Biodynamic farming practices are used in the vineyard. It is not fined or filtered, made with natural yeast. The wine has nice body with light-medium tannins. Cheerful. ($65)

Cupecake Vineyards 2007 Central Coast Chardonnary – Made by Adam Richardson, this 20,000 case wine is a fantastic bargain. It is aged 6-8 months in new/aged American Oak, with 30% going through malolactic fermentation. Nice and crisp, with a touch of sweetness, but what do you expect for a cupcake – nice party wine. ($12) , especially for the price.

Kanzler Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir – This wine was a barrel sample of 2007 – taken out of barrels five days before. With not much acid or structure in the wine at this point, it is a little flabby. It is not a typical fruit-forward CA Pinot, which is very nice. ($48)

Bink 2005 Pinot Noir – Produced exclusively from grapes harvested from Weir Vineyards in the Yorkville Highlands of Mendocino County, this is a good example of a California Pinot Noir. With a bit more complexity than the other Pinot Noirs we have tried and nice dry red fruit, we would pay for this wine. ($40)

Lionheart Wine 2007 – This is a 100% Roussane with lots of varietal character – grilled pineapple, melon, and a little apple in the nose. In the mouth, this is a full bodied wine. Twenty months on the lees give this Rhone style wine an added level of complexity. It seems a little overdone, but we liked it anyway. ($30)

Four Bears Winery Cabernet Sauvignon – Four Bears specializes in making wine that sell for less than $20. This wine shows cigar, smoke, and a little bell pepper. The mouth feel of the tannins is more expensive than the price of the wine. This is a good California Cab value. ($17)

Yellow + Blue 2007 Malbec – This is a certified organic wine from Mendoza. The wine is packaged exclusively in tetra pack containers to hold down the price and save the planet at the same time, or at least that is what the winemaker says. This is just a plain old Malbec, and there are others that sell for this price that are better but they come in bottles. So you can feel really good about this wine, because it is organic and greener than most wines. ($12)

Bonterra The McNab – Biodynamic production has been used to produce this wine since 1996. The McNab is 60% Merlot, 14% Petite Syrah, and 26% Cabernet. A little leather and dark fruit in the nose, this wine is just fine, but it will not make it to our cellars, because it is exclusively released to restaurants.

Check out these related posts:

1. Tasting Cupcake Vineyards’ Award Winning Wine with Winemaker Adam Richardson
2. The first tasting — Smooth vs. Bold wines
3. The 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma, CA
4. A list of good, but cheap, wines for these hard times
5. Recap of the first Wine Bloggers Conference