FoodBanter.com - April Blind Tasting Lunch

April lunch notes:

1995 Stony Hill Napa Riesling - a surprise! Obvious Riesling nose, a
bit flat on palate, ends softly but with enough acidity. I wondered if
it might be an Oz wine.

2000 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Steingrubler - excellent aromatics,
not a dry finish but a bit off dry, with good balance - very nice wine
that I am sad to note is now exhausted in my own cellar

1997 Kanonkop Paul Sauer - the flagship wine of this Cape producer.
Showed a dark cocoa nose, a little ripe, but with time in glass it
became more European with good clean acidity in the finish. Needs
time.

.. 2004 Black Widow Reserve - a BC wine (60 cases made) with 85%
merlot, 15% cab. Unusual nose - smoked oysters and cinnamon! Sweet
finish with a smoky custardy thing happening with a hint of licorice.

1997 Valdivieso Reserve Malbec - sweet nutty nose, middle weight,
still fairly tannic and could use a little more time to take the
remaining edges off.

1992 Sterling Diamond Mountain Ranch - a 76% Cab 16% cab franc, 8%
merlot bledn made by Bill Dyer. This wine is only now starting to come
into drinking range as the tannins have been pretty standoffish in
youth. Slightly dusty cab nose, dark wine, quite dry finish.

1994 DeLille Chaleur - always a fave of mine, this wine had a
voluptuous nose of fruit and spice, was rich and sweet on palate, with
soft tannin. Drinking very nicely now.

1999 Colombo Cornas Les Myjeans - the earlier drinking brother to Les
Ruchets, I've had this many times but was thrown on this occasion by
the stinky nose. It was well developed, fairly smooth and ready to
drink.

1997 Eileen Hardy Shiraz Mclaren Vale - the ripe minty nose was a
giveaway to origin, obvious Oz. Nice weight, not too heavy and with
nice clean acidity. A good vintage. Guess I better get stuck into my
1995.

2002 St. Hallets Blackwell Shiraz - we were detecting a theme by this
time. Inky black-purple, sweet ripe wine but actually quite pleasant
drinking now.

2003 Kirkland Pauillac - we ended on an unusual note with this
Bordeaux shipped by a large US firm - bit of fruit in the nose but
fell flat with a watery midpalate. Has tannin but low acid. Very
forgettable wine. Well at least I am trying to forget it.....