FoodBanter.com - TN: Blind Graves- class will out

So our Bordeaux-ish group (with a couple of guests, old and new) got together at
La Mangeoire for a Graves-themed dinner. Everyone was to bring a wine or two blind, whoever brought the WOTN got his/her dinner free.

Jacques and I arrived to find part of the group there, including Ben who brought a bunch of identical bags. We tried to mix it up so no one knew where their wine was (except one visible stuck capsule). We each ordered an appetizer and then we split 3 chickens (with salad and fries). Trying to go lighter I went with a sauteed calamari on grilled tomato slice- maybe not ideal for Bordeaux but tasty.

As we gathered, Susan passed the 2006 Hospices Auction Group (Faiveley) Meursault-Genevrieres. As you might expect of a 2006 HdB wine, it was rather ripe and oaky, but I thought some Meursault character definitely showed through. Full-bodied - approaching fat but not flabby, honied pear fruit, hazelnut, vanilla. B+/B

On to the blind reds
Wine # 1- great nose right off the bat with cassis, flowers, leaves, but on the palate I found this hard and tannic. By the time we had the first 5 wines this was in last place for me, but when we did a revisit before the voting, the tannins had softened and the palate was up to the nose, and I voted it as my 3rd place wine. B- to start, A- by end.

Wine # 2 -Smooth and round, easy drinking, dark berry fruit and earth/ B+/B

Wine # 3- Cassis and black raspberry, leather, tobacco, beautiful and balanced. Got even better. My WOTN. A-/A

Wine # 4 -herby nose with a touch of funk, full red fruits, tobacco. My 2nd place wine. A-

Wine # 5- Ripe, full, kirsch and cassis, nice finish. A-/B+

Wine # 6 - Cedar, acid backbone. I liked more at first, on revisit there was a distracting ashtray note. B

Wine # 7- full, modern, some oak, big. B

Wine # 8- Fresh acids, redder fruits, tobacco. B+

Wine # 9- this had a weird metallic-meets-lactic note that I couldn't get past, too bad because there seemed to be a nice fruit core. C

We voted using our usual weighted system (your first place wine gets 3 points, second 2, third 3), Ben got free dinner by a wide margin.

Wine # 1- 11 points, 1994 La Mission Haut Brion
Wine # 2- 1 point, 2000 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion
Wine # 3 - 18 points and an easy WOTN, 1985 Haut Brion (Ben had used another bottle when he double-decanted to not give obvious clue)
Wine # 4 - 2 points, 1978 Domaine de Chevalier
Wine # 5 - 12 points, 1981 La Mission Haut Brion
Wine # 6= 3 points 1979 La Mission Haut Brion
Wine # 7 - 1 point, 2000 Pape Clement
Wine # 8 - 0 points, 1979 Domaine de Chevalier
Wine # 9 - 0 points, 1966 Haut-Bailly (while no one voted for this, I think everyone was stunned by vintage, it seemed weird but rather young)

Fun night, fun format.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.