Sal Robinson came up with a very novel idea for our group’s April tasting. As she was out of town at the time, she rescheduled it for a back-to-back session in June.
This time, the bottles were not wrapped in brown paper as is usually the case with our ‘blind’ tastings.
The night before we were sent the following message:
“Here’s what the labels will say”:
Tinhorn Creek 2020 Okanagan Cabernet Franc. 13.8%
Moraine 2020 Meritage, Okanagan Valley: Merlot, Cabernet France, Malbec. 14.6%
Orofino 2018 Similkameen Passion Pit Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.3%
Think Again (Elephant Island) 2018 Naramata Bench Merlot. 15.2%
Vanessa 2017 Similkameen Meritage Cab Franc/Cab Sauv/Merlot 53/28/19%. 14.6%
Orofino 2017 Similkameen Red Bridge Red. 14.5%
Mission Hill 2016 Compendium: Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc 38/38/24%. 14.5%”
Our job was to determine whether the wine was indeed what the label said or if it was something else.
OK. A list of Bordeaux-type grapes, some as single variety wines and some as blends. Four regions represented and a range of four years. A range of alcohol levels. Hmmm . . . how to approach this? Should it be to look for regional character? Wines with more or less age? Varietal character vs blends? This should prove to be very interesting.
When we arrived, Sal greeted us with a glass of Synchromesh 2022 Riesling. It was very tasty with big ripe fruit, a lip-smacking palate and a medium-long finish. A great palate cleanser and only 8.1% ABV to boot!
With the unwrapped bottle set out in front of us, we began.
Tinhorn Creek 2020 Okanagan Cabernet Franc. 13.8
Everyone except me said yes, this is the correct wine in the bottle. I was pretty certain it wasn’t a Tinhorn product. It turned out to be Wayne Meadows handmade 2020 Cabernet Franc from Osoyoos, a very nice tasty wine that needs a few years to come into its own (see photo below). People were surprised that Wayne didn’t spot it.
Moraine 2020 Meritage, Okanagan Valley: Merlot, Cabernet France, Malbec. 14.6%
Again, I was the outlier saying no. Everyone else guessed correctly. It was indeed Moraine Meritage. $44.95. Tied for one person’s favourite.
Orofino 2018 Similkameen Passion Pit Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.3%
This time I believed that it was the correct wine and three others agreed with me, but we were wrong. The wine turned out to be Nagging Doubt 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon from Osoyoos (see below). 13.5% ABV. $36.70. Three people had this as their favourite. I’m glad I have several of these in my cellar.
Think Again (Elephant Island) 2018 Naramata Bench Merlot. 15.2%
A no for me and three others. Alas, it was indeed as advertised. I suspected it was a blend though I should have guessed correctly as the finish was a little on the hot side. $43.90. Tied for one person’s top score.
Vanessa 2017 Similkameen Meritage Cab Franc/Cab Sauv/Merlot 53/28/19%. 14.6%
My losing streak continued. One other guessed no. We were both wrong. I was disappointed in my guess. I should have gotten it as I am quite familiar with this wine. $66.70. Two people had this as their best of the evening.
Orofino 2017 Similkameen Red Bridge Red. 14.5%
A unanimous no on this one. Clearly not Orofino’s style. It was a big heavy slightly hot wine. One person commented that it was rather Port-like. The wine turned out to be Carnivore 2018 California Cabernet Sauvignon 15% ABV. $24.13. The fact that the wine had been aged in Bourbon barrels could have explained some of the comments. It was the most controversial wine of the flight. Five people had this as their lowest score, while one person loved it. I thought it lacked balance.
Mission Hill 2016 Compendium: Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc 38/38/24%. 14.5%
The ‘nos’, including me were in the majority for the last wine in the flight. Only two people said, ‘yes’. I guessed correctly, but would never have suspected the wine to come from Lebanon. It was Chateau Musar 2016 Bekka Valley, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan, all in equal proportions. 14% ABV. $87.40
The surprise wines:
Well, it certainly was an interesting evening, that is for sure. Sal had wondered how much a label influences people’s expectations and perceptions. Clearly, it does. Likewise, with prices. Do people prefer a certain wine if they are told that it costs a lot of money? Some certainly do. Marketing is very important to wineries. Some use funky/quirky names and/or labels to attract attention, some use heavy bottles, and some slap a big sticker price on their product. All this points to the value of blind tastings when all you have to go on is what’s in your glass.
After the tasting, Wayne Meadows passed two corkscrews around the table.
“Known as hook blade cork extractors to collectors. This one is the first one patented in 1862 by Somsou & Bruneaux in France. Curiously it utilized a thin ivory handle. Very quickly inventors in America, Germany & England invented their own versions. They all had a simple “T” handle. The idea was that one slid the blade down between the cork and the bottleneck, turned it 90° and pulled the cork. These only worked with very short corks found in beer, sparkling water, and cider.”
“Doing research on them Sal found an American patent by H. Nies in 1912 for a folding bullet-shaped one that had never been found. So, I made one!” Wayne Meadows
(All photos – Sam Hauck)
