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.