Last week we attended yet another grand tasting at Mark Mixmaster Johnson’s house for the “Battle of the Blends” showdown. This tasting was not an easy feat, but quite difficult with blends from all over the world. The only rule was that each wine had to have at least 3 varietals, but the more oddball mix the better. 26 wines were blind tasted and after all was said and done, the two favorite overall were the ’01 Barnwood Trio (big, big surprise here) with a blend of Cabernet Sauv, Merlot and Syrah, and Orin Swift’s The Prisoner which is a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauv, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Charbono – both scoring 9.0 on my score sheet. Some other surprises were the Peachy Canyon ’04 Jester coming in over 5 (expected less here) and the Four Vines ’05 Peasant scoring over 8 from Rob and I. Someone was definitely trying to throw us off our game with the inclusion of the Big House Red. Here are the rest of the tasting notes:
Wine #1 – ’04 Wine Guerilla: A young, tight wine that’s slightly dry with light fruits. Scores: Linda 5 (2nd taste scored 6), Rob 6
Wine #2 – ’04 Paraduxx: This had a great fruit aromas, 1st taste was big and meaty, fruit forward that balanced and mellowed the light tannins on the finish – very well balanced, stylish and smooth blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauv and Merlot. Scores: Linda 8, Rob 8
Wine #3 – ’05 Four Vines Anarchy: I described this as “very choppy” (not smooth) and Rob said “chalky”, flavors of dark berries with a sharp acidic finish. Scores: Linda 5.5 (really?), Rob 5
Wine #4 – ’04 Lone Madrone (not sure what varietal – sorry): We both guessed this was a GSM blend with nice fruits upfront, very well balanced with light tannins on finish. Scores: Linda 8.5, Rob 8.4
Wine #5 – ’02 Col Solare: French-style wine with very mild fruit flavors and heavy tannins, Cab/Merlot blend. Scores: Linda 6, Rob 6
Wine #6 – ’04 La Bernordine (sp?) Chateauneuf du Pape: Simple, one-dimensional wine that’s tart on the palate with an alcohol finish - no style. Scores: Linda 5.5, Rob 4.5
Wine #7 – ’03 Tandem Peloton: Definitely a Pinot blend of some kind