THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607030104
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM RAPER
LENGTH: 106 lines
I ORGANIZED a wine affair for the Tidewater Society of Communicating Arts the other evening and came away as more a proponent than ever of blind tastings.
By blind, I mean that the labels are covered. In this case, I gave the 45 participants a list of the 10 wines I would be pouring; however, each bottle was in a sack that hid not only the label but also the shape of the bottle.
The challenge was for the participants to match the sacked bottles - numbered 1 through 10 - with the names and descriptions of the wines on their list.
Because there were white and red wines, the matching process was a little easier. For example, participants could disregard the six white wines on the list when they were trying to identify the four reds. In fact, I thought the reds would be relatively easy to identify, although, as it turned out, more people were better at identifying whites.
Each participant also was to give a first, second and third place rating to the three wines they liked the most among the 10.
My chief aim was to contrast wines from California with similar examples from southern France. Satellite themes included the differences between chardonnay and sauvignon blanc and between merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
Here are the wines listed in order of the group's overall preference, based on a point scale of three points for first place, two for second and one for third.
1. Beringer 1991 Meritage Red, Knights Valley (California) ($17). This was the runaway winner. Twelve participants named it as their favorite wine. It was the most expensive wine of the 10, but, of course, the tasters did not know the names or the prices of the wines when they voted. This meritage blend of traditional Bordeaux varieties is made mostly of cabernet sauvignon and has a lesser amount of merlot. I thought it tasted like a lush Northern California cab and was pleased when the audience ranked it highly. I like merlot but am more fond of cabernet sauvignon. (Interestingly, several participants thought this lush wine ``just had to be'' a California merlot.)
2. Domaine de Coussergues 1995 Sauvignon (Blanc) Vin de Pays d'Oc (France) ($8). The rank of this wine might be considered a surprise, but I had a hunch. Fils Ltd. of Winchester) is a terrific example of sauvignon blanc. It has the variety's grassy and grapefruity flavors, clean and austere, not softened by oak or butter.
3. Beringer 1992 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Meritage White, Knights Valley ($11). A clean sweep for the sauvignon blancs over the chardonnays among the whites. Now that was a surprise. This is more of a figs and vanilla sauvignon blanc (mellowed by the semillon in the blend), but it still has crisp edges.
4. (tie) Reserve St. Martin 1993 Viognier Vin de Pays d'Oc ($12). Another white from the south of France, this is made from a grape that became famous in the northern Rhone Valley but has found recent success in numerous locations, including California and Virginia. The wine has a delicate, floral aroma. Better viognier (vee-oh-n'yay) costs $20 a bottle or more.
4. (tie) Blackstone 1994 Merlot California ($15). This is typical of a medium-bodied California merlot, with its cherry, mint and pine forest flavors augmented by sweet and spicey oak.
6. La Vieille Ferme 1995 Cotes du Luberon White (France) ($8). A fresh and crisp white, this widely available wine is made from traditional grapes of southern France - grenache blanc, ugni blanc and rousanne. But don't try to remember the names of the grapes. Remember instead that this is a versatile white that mates with all sorts of summer fare, particularly crab in butter or vegetarian pizza.
7. Lurton 1994 Merlot Domaine des Salices Vin de Pays d'Oc ($8). I think this is one of the better inexpensive merlots available, and certainly the best I have tasted from the Languedoc. It has a trace of the juicy fruity, almost nouveau, flavor that is found in many of the vin de pays merlots, but it also gains complexity from flavors of tar and black pepper.
8. Chateau La Roque 1993 Cru Pic Saint Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc ($12). This comes to us from West Coast importer Kermit Lynch and is an example of traditional winemaking in southern France. No chic chic grapes in this, just lesser known varieties such as carignan, mourvedre, grenache and cinsault. It has lots of tannin, which put off most tasters, but its smokey, concentrated dark fruit flavors intrigued a few. (The participant who won the guessing game by correctly identifying six of the 10 wines chose the La Roque as his favorite of the evening.)
9 (tie). Chateau Souverain 1994 Chardonnay Barrel Fermented Sonoma County ($12). Could this be true? The two chardonnays in the tasting finished tied for last place. The Souverain is a very nice example, with vanilla and tropical fruit flavors, yet plenty of crispness on the finish. Are people becoming bored with chardonnay?
9. (tie) Chantefleur 1994 Chardonnay Vin de Pays d'Oc ($5). This is a simple, citrusy chardonnay that is widely available and often discounted to $4. No participant picked it as his or her favorite or second-place wine, but seven picked it third.
What did I learn from the tasting?
The participants, none of whom is associated with the food or wine business, were discriminating judges who knew quality wine when they tasted it. This seems to be the rule in tastings such as these. Novices do better in blind tastings than they expect they will. I believe we also remember more about wines when we evaluate them without being influenced by labels or price tags.
Biases were buttressed, as well, such as cabernet sauvignon's generally being more flavorful than a similarly priced merlot. Also, crisp sauvignon blanc is a refreshing summer wine that many people will prefer to a thicker chardonnay. And, finally, I find that my fondness for the wines of southern France is not a quirk. Consumers may hesitate to buy them because they don't know how they will taste, but when they do taste them, they like them, both the Vin de Pays d'Oc examples of well-known varieties such as merlot and the blends of grapes with unfamiliar names. MEMO: The Humble Steward is a regular feature of Sunday Flavor. Send
questions or comments to: The Humble Steward, Sunday Flavor, The
Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk,
Va. 23510. If possible, give complete label information when naming
wines, and list the vintage year. Please include your name and phone
number. by CNB