2006 California versus France in TheEngII's house

[TheEngineer]

That I think was a great evening. So who won? It was a VERY VERY close call, but the US ecked out a narrow victory with great team play. Wine of the night, bit of a personal choice for all of us but the consensus was the 2000 Chateau Pontet Canet. Great food (and lots of it), and great friends, BTW, please allow me to offer my points scoring, but they only are used to show the relative terms of the night.

So lets start off with the “cooking wines”…wines consumed during cooking...

(1) NV Mumm Napa Sparkling Pinot Noir, Napa California, vibrant fizz, bright garnet, purple, nose of pure pinot, dry with a bright berry nose and taste, but a flat mid palate and a short finish with a decent amount of acidity. 87 points $40.00 per bottle

(2) 2001 Les Cousins (A Robert Kacher Selection), Willamette Valley, Oregon. This was a was a chewy pinot noir, Rusty purple in color, full complex nose, gamey, some wood with a port like finish. Surprisingly only a mid-length finish but still impressive. Needed to be decanted for about 4 hours. 86, $41.99 per bottle.

So here are the blow by blow accounts. All wines were tasted double blind.

Battle 1 Sparkling wine versus Champagne

(Winner) 1995 Dom Perignon, Champagne, France. Okay,….so this one was a bit unfair…but to be fair,..this was by far not one of the best Dom’s. As such, it was a chance for the US to decimate an Icon, but the Icon, at least for me, stood up to the challenge. Pale golden hay in color, traditional biscuity nose with some berries. Very strong structure with berry and citrus ending with a rather sharp finish but lingering. 89 points $120 per bottle

(Contender) NV Roederer Estate, Sparkling wine, Anderson Valley. CA. This one has a salmon color ting in it with a nose of peach and some minerality. Broad flavors but a thinner mid-palate. Sharp and short finish. 85 points $30 per bottle.

Battle 2 Sauvignon Blanc versus the Loire. This battle ended up to be the bargain battle of the night with three bottles in the ring.

(Winner) 2004 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc, California. This was interesting. Slightly green ting to a pale straw color, Full SB nose (some cat pee), but loads of a good amount of grapefruit, pineapple and guava. Medium length finish and a well rounded texture. 87 points and $11.99

(Contender) 2004 Celestin Blondeau, Sancerre – Cuvee des Moulis Bates, Sancerre, France. Golden hay in color, typical SB nose, with pat pee/goose berry, nose, lots of citrus and grapefruit taste but a bit flat on the palate. Lost by a bit, 85 points and $21.

(Contender) Cuvee de Fie Gris, Touraine, France. Contender would be a strong word for this one, the weakest wine of the night. Thin, waterlike, nothing to go back for, but did have a flint like flavor. 75 points and $13.99

Battle 3 Chadonnay versus white Burgundy. Two atypical bottles produces the second US win.

(Winner) 2002 Ferrari Cararno, Alexander Valley, California. Dark hay in color with a bit of spicy, oaky, fresh tasting chardonnay. Very nice crisp body and a lingering finish. 89 points and $35.

(Contender) 2001 Paul Garadeut, Mersault., Burgundy France. Straw color woody nose, with some caramel, butter, smooth, rounded texture and decent balance. After we found out it was a Mersault, we were all surprised since it exhibited little of the Mersault characteristics (the mealiness that I look for). 85 points and 40 Euros (or about $50 USD).

Battle 4 Pinot Noir versus Burgundy. Again, two rather atypical bottles of CA PN and Red Burgundy, but in the end, a very close US win. US is now up 3 to 1 in a best out of 7.

(Winner) 2004 David Bruce, Central Coast, California, Light garnet/purple in color with an full but a bit oaky nose. A bit rustic with cherry fruit, mild toastiness, and notes of mushroom, earthiness and spice. Decent balance. 85 points, $25 per bottle

(Contender) 2001 Rene Bouvier Gevery Chambertin, Burgundy France, Jammy fruit forward nose, berries and wood on the palate with a bit of hotness at the end and it felt a bit discombobulated. Some earthiness to it. Finish is medium length. 85 points and $60 per bottle.

Battle 5 Merlot versus Right Bank Bordeaux. Two just beautiful ones, one better made but the other from a better vintage, both impressive in their own right, and in the end, the French are digging back to a 3-2 deficit.

(Winner) 2000 Chateau Destieux, St. Emilion, Bordeaux. Dark dark purple in color, almost opaque. Nose of dark fruits, leather, older woods and taste of the same but a wonderful fullness and richness and a bit of smokiness and earthiness. Very good structure but tannins are very reasonable. 91 points and $29.99 a bottle.

(Contender) 2002 Stag’s Leap SLWC Merlot, Stag’s Leap California. Dark garnet/brownish in color. Nose of black fruit, cedar, anise and tea. Very nicely complex. Taste of blackberry, cola, spiciness, and wood are nicely integrated with the structure of the wine. There was no weak spots here. A nice long lingering finish to boot. 90 points and $40 per bottle.

Battle 6 Cabernet Sauvignon versus Left Bank Bordeaux. The French pulled even 3-3 with this but again, it was very close.

(Winner) 2000 Chateau Pontet-Canet, Paulliac, Bordeaux. Dark, almost opaque purple. Very elegant and balanced nose, but a bit closed at the moment. Scent of pencil lead, coffee, elegant fruits, leather, and an earthiness. Taste to match but a very significant structure. Tannins are evident but receding. Medium long finish but great persistence. 93 points, $49.99 per bottle.

(Contender) 2001 Turbull Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, California What a great complex nose, very fruit forward, chocolate, black berry, and others. There is a lot going on here. On the palate, much of the same, but super smooth and lush. Almost a port like consistency and a LONG finish. Just a bit our of balance for this very large wine. 91 points and $40 per bottle.

Battle 7 Sweet wine versus Sauternes. The US wins on this one with perhaps a bit of a flawed French bottle.

(Winner) 2004 Robert Mondavi Moscat D’Oro, California. Very light pale straw in color with a great light nose of white peach. Super fresh and not one or aging but serve chilled on a hot summer day and it is perfect. 90 points and $17.99 per half bottle.

(Contender) 2001 Chateau Clos Haut-Peynaguey Sauternes, France. Golden straw in color. Strange nose devoid of the typical honeyed sauternes nose (especially for a 2001), Thick and sweet but nothing there. It may have been a rather flawed bottle. Regardless, 80 points and $22 per bottle.

Sample bottles
2001 Inniskillin Vidal Sparkling Icewine, Niagara, Canada. Not part of the competition but pulled out to look at the current state of Canadian dessert wines. Not my favorite style of icewine but still worth a look. Dark golden color. Lots of honey and citrus going on in the nose, Super thick, lush, sweet, but a great balance with an almost tart finish, cleaning off the palate nicely. Super long finish and persistence though. 90 points and $79.99 per bottle.

[This message has been edited by TheEngII (edited 02-12-2006).]