Tasting Blindly in July...

And the theme is...?

We had an engaged and enthusiastic group of students at the July Tasting Blind class at the Morro Bay Wine Seller on Wednesday. As always, there was a theme to the wines, which I always hope students will figure out while they're tasting. This group did not disappoint - and neither did the wines!

As always, we had fresh-baked bread from #JDBakes on the tables for palate cleansing and generally tastiness.


The wines:
2017 J. Dusi Pinot Grigio, Paso Robles – Bright straw color. Fresh lemon, pear and honeydew melon on the nose and in the mouth. Silky mouthfeel, showing good clarity and a touch of warmth on the melon-y finish. There was a general note of surprise at the reveal, with many people saying they had not previously tasted a Pinot Grigio they liked!

2016 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Blanc Cuvee Balthazar, Alsace – A rather neutral nose offers glimpses of pear and lemon. The palate is soft in texture, and the pear fruit it shows is fresh, clean and edged with zesty lemon. This is light, dry and fresh. This was the favorite of the evening. A lovely wine!

2018 Leyda Rose of Pinot Noir, D.O. Valle de Leyda, Chile – This Rosé demonstrates the tipicity of hig-altitude Pinot Noir, with acidic red fruit aromas such as raspberry, cherry and strawberry, along with surprising guava and soft herbal notes. The palate shows fresh red fruit, with fresh, crisp acidity and a long finish.

2014 Pomar Junction Pinot Noir, El Pomar District, Paso Robles – Silver Medal Winner, SF Chronicle Wine Competition (2017). High alcohol made for a hot nose. Folks were evenly divided as to likes and dislikes.

2014 Tondre Pinot Noir, Tondre Grapefield, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County – Oak spice, black cherry and red Bing cherry fruit, plus the typical aromas of earth and spice reflective of the Santa Lucia Highlands, made a wonderful and complex aromatic experience. Generally, folks who liked the Pomar Junction Pinot didn't 'get' this one, and vice versa.

Did you figure out the theme of the tasting? All the wines are various mutations of Pinot Noir!

Hope you'll join us next month for #TastingBlind! It's always #tasty #fun! Cheers!