January 2013 - Blends!

Starting Off with a Bang Blend!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, WINOS!  For our first meeting of 2013, we had a wonderful time with a very new theme.  Blends!   

• Vintage wine blends are different grapes grown in the same vintage, or year.  This may be something as simple as a vintage Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend, or it may be something as complex as blending up to 13 different grapes to create a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
   
• Non-vintage blends combine grapes grown in different vintages in order to balance flavors, tannins, and other wine characteristics. These wines are typically labeled NV or non-vintage, and there will be no year listed on the label.

Our lovely hostess Terri sent us some wonderful information on blends ahead of time, available here.  A couple tidbits about blends from that article:

1. Some varietals are made for blending.
2. Some are really not!
3. Blending makes wine more complex.

The Spread: 

The Wines:

(As you can tell, this is a hodge-podge-y picture, and doesn't show the wines in the order of tasting.)

Without further ado, the wines:

1.  Essay, Chenin Blanc/Viognier Blend; Whole Foods; $9.99; 13.5%

Rating: 3.79

Nose: absolutely nothing

Taste:

• Citrusy
• Honeysuckle
• Pear
• Pineapple
• Drinkable and smooth
• GREAT after a particularly spicy appetizer

According to the label, this is a "medium-bodied" wine with melon and guava flavors.  The wine should have had "intriguing floral notes," but as noted above, the ladies noted none of this.  We called shenanigans on the label.

The blend was 90% chenin blanc, 10% viognier.

2.  Bridlewood, "Blend 175"; Harris Teeter; $13.99, 12.5%

Rating: 3.5

Nose: cherries

Taste:

• Plums
• Cherries
• Smooth
• Sweet

Oddly, the ladies differed on whether this wine got sweeter, or less sweet, over time.

According to the label, this wine was full of jammy fruits and sweet oak.  Also, this is a "barrel lot blend."  The winemakers took 175 tastes (a likely story--we were not convinced), which is why this wine is called "Blend 175."  

**Here we got into some really interesting, complex conversations.  Impressive, ladies.  The ladies discussed jury duty, past roommates, and resolutions for 2013.  Oh, and another favorite, loving (hating?) it when our mothers are right, esp. on matters of the heart.

3.  Menage a Tois, 2010 California, Zinfandel/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Blend; Safeway; $12.99

Rating: 3.21

Nose: smells like scented candle

Taste:

• Cloves
• Incredibly sweet, like mulled wine
• Tart finish
• Sour cherries

According to the label, this blend should taste of dark berries and pepper.

4.  Cotes-du-Rhone 2010, Pic & Chapoutier; Schneiders; $15; 14%

Rating: 3.58

Nose: [Nothing from the ladies!]

Taste: [Lack of focus means no focus here!]  The ladies did note that they found this wine to be less sweet than the last wine, and smooth. 

What caused this lack of focus you ask?

1. Recomendations for reducing sex drive.
2. Gym locker room etiquette, especially when the gym is in the office building where you work.  
3. Etiquette for inviting individuals into your office space, e.g., behind your desk. 

According to the label, this goes well with guinea fowl.  Alas, we didn't have any guinea fowl. 

5.  Innovacion, Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon; Whole Foods; $10.99; 13%

Taste:

• Bigger than the other wines
• Not sweet 
• Dry, tannic 
• [Illegible word -- looks like "murderous" or "melodramatic."  Either way, sounds fascinating!]

Over all, we found this wine to be easy drinking with a spicy finish.

According to the label, this is a smooth- to medium-bodied wine, with plums and red marmalade.  Red marmalade?  Huh.  This blogger found no information out there on red marmalade unless it was red onion marmalade, and we guarantee there were no onions in this wine.

6.  Project Paso, 2010, "Red Wine Blend" [Unknown price/source]

Nose:

• Earthy
• Fruity
• Cherry
• "Hippy" cherries
• Sharp at the end
• 20 times more smell than any of the other wines

Taste:

• Smoky

**This bottle featured an amazing new twist -- literally.  Meet the Zork STL -- more than just a fun play on "cork," this sucker seems really practical. 

The Winner's Circle:

1. Essay

2. Project Paso

3. Cote-du-Rhone

4. Bridlewood

5. Menage a Trois

6. Innovacion

Added Twists:

• Million Dollar Decorators.  Apparently we all need to get up to speed on this show.  Quotable from Lauren (the lady in the fair isle sweater), "I like the gothic!"