Recap of the Century Club Tasting

Last night myself and forty-plus other individuals entered our journey into The Wine Century Club.  (For more on The Wine Century Club and our tasting series, click here.) Twenty-five wines and twenty-six grape varietals later we had all discovered a lot of new aspects of wine, and something we all loved that we hadn’t even known existed prior to the night.  Here are a selections of the favorites from the night.

Robert Foley’s Pinot Blanc, $30
Foley is no stranger to ‘unique’ varietals, he regularly works with grapes that most winemakers don’t go near.  His Pinot Blanc is no different.  Dry and crisp, fermented entirely in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation (creates buttery taste) this Pinot Blanc has the classic flavors of citrus fruit and floral flavors.

Pinot Blanc is a mutual of the Pinot Noir grape, found most commonly in Germany where it can be made in either a dry or sweet style.  The grape can also be found in Austria, Alsace, Italy and Hungary where the dry style dominants

Owen Roe’s Abbot’s Table, $29
Speaking of winemakers going their own way….Dave O’Reilly is a the forefront.  Working with off the wall grapes for the United States such as Blaufrankish and Counise.  This blend includes everything but the kitchen sink – in a good way.  Zinfandel dominates the wine to give it structure, a smooth mouth feel and flavors of plum and dark cherries.  Many Prisoner fans found their new favorite in this wine.

Blend:  24% Zinfandel, 22% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Blaufrankish, 4% Malbec.  Blaufrankish, the most obscure of the grapes, is grown in many regions across Europe including Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary (where it is known as Kekfrankos).  It is a thick-skinned, late ripening grape that can add tannin and spice to any wine with typical flavors of dark cherry.

The full list
For those interested, below is a full list of the wines (and grapes) tasted last night.

1. Arneis:  Ascheri Langhe
2. Barbera:  Ascheri Barbera d’Alba
3. Blaufrankish:  Owen Roe Abbot’s Table
4. Cabernet Franc:  Clarendelle Bordeaux Rouge, Owen Roe Abbot’s Table
5. Cabernet Sauvignon:  Saddlerock Ranch, Clarendelle Bordeaux Rouge, Uppercut, Lapostolle Borobo, Orin Swift The Prisoner, Ch. Merville St. Estephe, Brancaia Tre, Brancaia IL Blu, Owen Roe Abbot’s Table
6. Carmenere:  Lapostolle Borobo
7. Charbono:  Orin Swift The Prisoner
8. Chardonnay:  Saddlerock Ranch
9. Corvina:  Brigaldara Amarone Classico
10. Corvinone:   Brigaldara Amarone Classico
11. Counoise:  Owen Roe Sinister Hand
12. Grenache:  Orin Swift The Prisoner, Owen Roe Sinister Hand
13. Malbec:  Orin Swift The Prisoner, Owen Roe Abbot’s Table
14. Merlot:  Saddlerock Ranch, Switchback Ridge, Clarendelle Bordeaux Rouge, Brancaia Tre, Brancais IL Blu
15. Mourvedre:  Owen Roe Sinister Hand
16. Nebbiolo:  Ascheri Nebbiolo d’Alba, Ascheri Barolo
17. Petite Sirah:  Orin Swift The Prisoner, Orin Swift Saldo
18. Petit Verdot:  Lapostolle Borobo
19. Pinot Blanc:  Robert Foley
20. Pinot Noir:  Saddlerock Ranch, Lapostolle Borobo
21. Rondinella:   Brigaldara Amarone Classico
22. Sangiovese:  Brancaia Chianti Classico, Brancaia Tre, Brancaia IL Blu, Owen Roe Abbot’s Table
23. Sauvignon Blanc:  Clark Claudon Wild Iris, Pomelo
24. Syrah:  Lapostolle Borobo, Orin Swift The Prisoner, Owen Roe Abbot’s Table, Owen Roe Sinister Hand
25. Viognier:  Alban Central Coast
26. Zinfandel:  Orin Swift The Prisoner, Orin Swift Saldo, Owen Roe Abbot’s Table

The next Century Club tasting will be held at Decanted the third week of May, and will once again explore (at least) 25 different wines and 25 different grapes.