A long time had passed since we last compared California Zinfandels blind (we previously tried these in December 2015). This was a thoroughly enjoyable tasting, and a reminder that even though Zins are often described as “gateway” reds for their overt character, they can also be complex, interesting values that come in a range of styles. […]
Zinfandel Battle #3 Read More »
May was supposed to be the month of the Domestic Rosé Battle, comparing dry, non-sparkling rosés produced anywhere in the United States. But through some manner of miscommunication or mix-up, Ali & Andy brought two French examples to the table, perhaps out of reflex action. So we marched our blind tasting palates forward and without hesitation,
The Domestic Rosé Battle That Wasn’t Read More »
In a departure from our usual blind tasting format, we took up Ali’s suggestion to have a sampler of wines from the venerable winery Ridge Vineyards, poured without cover of a brown bag. We pooled our resources and put together a lineup of various styles of wine, both white and red. We’ve been fans
Ridge Vineyards Sampler Read More »
We started off 2024 with our third War of the Central Coast Pinot Noirs blind tasting, a topic we last covered in November 2017. This time, we had a unanimous winner, an occurrence that seems to be less frequent these days, with a bottle that showed some age and evolution. Everyone agreed on the best wine
War Of The Central Coast Pinot Noirs #3 Read More »
Our first Sonoma Cabernet Clash was way back in January 2009, so the moment to revisit these was sorely overdue. For reasons lost to time, only four wines were represented in that first round, instead of the usual six. And for our second Sonoma Cabernet Clash, an eleventh-hour cancellation meant that only five wines were compared. Sonoma
Sonoma Cabernet Clash #2 Read More »
In the eighteen years that we have been holding these tastings, we have never put Sauvignon Blancs from California side-by-side for blind comparison. Why have we skipped this category of wines? No idea, but I doubt that we will wait too long to try these again, since we were very happy with the results, showing
California Sauvignon Blanc Clash Read More »
The November 2021 tasting was the same format as our May 2019 tasting, where the objective was to correctly identify the wine poured in each of our six glasses. Poured blind, and with four potential answers for both whites and reds, this is no easy task, as evidenced by our lackluster showing in previous attempts. But
What’s In My Glass? (USA Edition) Read More »
We’ve been doing these tastings for a very long time, but have never elected to have Napa Chardonnay as a theme. Why? Because we’re generally averse to white wines that come off as big, buttery oak bombs that leave your palate tired after just a few sips. Okay, that’s an over-generalziation. But you get the
Napa Chardonnay Challenge Read More »
This month’s tasting was inspired by a scene from the movie Somm 3, where a group of young sommeliers blind taste a diverse set up Pinot Noirs. Unknown to all expect the organizer is the fact that half the wines are from Burgundy, and the other half are New World examples. Our version of
Burgundy v. California Read More »
This was our third comparison of California Petite Sirah (the last time was in December 2013), and we left very happy with the results. All bottles received points, were well-made, and our favorites were also excellent values. Interestingly, the two most expensive wines came in last, and were also from the same producer, though different vintages.
Petite Sirah Showdown #3 Read More »