Quick & Dirty Tasting Notes From W&CN

Much to my surprise, when I logged on this morning to add this week's tasting notes, I noticed blog traffic had spiked. After checking the traffic sources, I learned that some it was from Google searches of the following keywords:

C'mon, that's pretty funny.

The W&CN crew has been slacking with tasting notes lately due to a cancellation a couple weeks ago, catching up with family and friends the following week, and general laziness last Wednesday. Lately, I've been keeping myself busy between school and working two jobs. As a result, I haven't been savoring the wine as much as I have been guzzling it. Hunting season is just around the corner and winter will soon follow it, so blogging will likely be slow for the rest of the year. 


The most notable moment of last Wednesday: A belted kingfisher landed on the limb of pine tree directly above us. As we were all checking out the bird, the bird pooped. As we watched it fall, the group let out a roar of commotion and our gazes lost sight of the dropping before we could see it land. We quickly learned that it landed on Matt R.'s pants. Coincidentally, I snapped a photo of the offending bird no more than 30 minutes before this event.

© Paula Frenette 2013

Only one of Wednesday's bottles was new to us, as far as tasting notes go.

Name: Cupcake Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: Cupcake Vineyards
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2010
Region:  Valle Central
Country:  Chile
Alcohol:  12.5%
Price: $10/bottle (average)
Barcode: 0081308591872
Flavors: cherry, mocha, oak

Notes: The oak is slight in taste, but hits you more on the nose. Cherry dominates the flavor and the mocha is much more subtle. Very light and smooth mouth-feel.

Rating: We had actually forgotten to rate this wine, probably because of the bird poop mishap. But, I'm going to give it a 7/10. It's tasty and cheap, and as far as wine goes, that's all I really need.

W&CN Tasting Notes

As the outdoor drinking season is coming to a close, the crowds have started to die down at W&CN. The quiet night started off with a new wine, which we all enjoyed, followed by 337, an old favorite. We ended the night with another blind tasting. 

Name: The Dreaming Tree - Crush
Producer: The Dreaming Tree
Varietal: Red
Vintage: 2011
Region:  North Coast, CA
Country:  US
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $14/bottle (Average)
Barcode: 0082100738533
Flavors: raspberry
Notes: Somewhat chocolatey to the nose. Each sip supplies a bit of initial tartness, but it quickly disappears into a clean finish. This wine’s flavor is simple and straight-forward with just a whisper of raspberry in the background. Good for the novice red drinker. 

Rating: 7.0/10.0

 

Until last night, I had no idea Dave Matthews knew anything about wine.

 

 As part of Dreaming Tree Wine's commitment to sustainability, the bottles are a quarter pound lighter, which helps reduce the overall cost of the wine. Regardless of your stance on the environment, cheaper wine is something we can all appreciate.

Name: Kendal-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer: Kendal-Jackson Vineyards and Winery
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2008
Region: California
Country: US
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $18.99/bottle
Barcode: 0081584013174
Flavors: dark berries, mocha
Notes: The smell is subtle with enticing notes of leather and oak. Full-bodied but smooth from the first sip. Dark berries dominate its flavor, but the delicate hints of mocha add to the overall velvety finish. Recommended for everyone, especially if you’re trying to get lucky.  (Blind tasting)
Rating: 8.0/10.0

As it turns out, there is a lot to learn about wine from blind tastings. By eliminating any expectations that could be derived from brand-names and artwork provided by the label, it is easier to free your mind and your taste buds and actually focus on what you are experiencing. Lucky for us, we blindly tasted Kendal-Jackson. Granted, it is no secret that W&CN loves K-J. However, last night’s blind tasting not only allowed for unbiased opinion, it gave us a completely new appreciation for this wine. We could literally taste, even feel, the difference in quality compared to other favorites and frequenters. Albeit redundant, the only word I can conjure to describe it is: smooth. Better quality wines just go down easier. I have come to accept and even enjoy, that popular inexpensive wines tend to kick you in the mouth on that first sip. Often, that opening assault on your tongue lingers throughout the entire bottle. Depending on the wine, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Whether that “kick” is incredible sweetness, or rocket fuel, that ten-dollar-taste is evident on some level. The ultimate goal at W&CN is to relax and enjoy the “finer” things in life, but being able to discover and experience wines that taste expensive on a Coors Light budget is a huge bonus. While definitely pushing our budget, Kendal-Jackson hits that mark.

As I look forward to more blind tastings, I am curious about the sort of reviews that would be given to wines that have already been banned from our circle. More so, I am interested in blindly trying something entirely new. (Which I guess is the difference between “legally blind” and “completely blind,” as far as our wine tasting goes.) I’ll be sure to keep a record of such experiences here as they unfold.