BLIND WHITES (NOT CHARDONNAY) at Creó Restaurant, Albany, NY (7/22/2010)

The WCC met to taste Any White but Chardonnay. As expected, the results were quite mixed.

Andy Plummer did the cooking for us and the food was excellent. Unfortunately, they still can't seem to give us a section by ourselves.

Flight 1

Served with Seared Tuna and a very mild Soy-Wasabi Sauce. Tasty.

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• 1997 Domaines Schlumberger Riesling Saering - France, Alsace, Guebwiller, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
  Mild sherry nose. Oxidized. Sour. Gone. NR (flawed)
• 2000 Trimbach Gewürztraminer - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
  Gorgeous tropical fruit nose. Surprisingly dry in the mouth given how sweet it is in the nose. I think it's Alsatian Pinot Gris. Mike T thinks it's Gewurz. He's right, but it doesn't have any of the lychee/rosewater flavors I'd expect. (92 pts.)
• 2004 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibner Berg - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
  Very dry and thick. Lots of tropical fruit in the nose, but more steely in the mouth. Long finish. Tastes like a very good dry Riesling. Did Larry bring a Wiemer Dry Reserve Riesling again? (93 pts.)

Flight 2

Served with Fresh Homemade Mozzarella, Roasted Yellow Tomatoes, Prosciutto, Fresh Basil and Greens. The roasted yellow tomatoes were exquisite.

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• 2003 Nicolas Joly Savennières-Coulée de Serrant Clos de la Coulée de Serrant - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières-Coulée de Serrant
  Sherry nose. Nasty in the mouth. Oxidized. NR (flawed)
• 2008 Domaine de la Perrière Sancerre - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
  Slate and peach custard nose. Tart and dry. Slight fizzy. Pleasant, no more. (84 pts.)
• 2009 Martín Códax Albariño Rías Baixas Burgáns - Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas
  Fruit cocktail nose. Very dry in the mouth. A pleasant, unassuming wine. Good for a summer lunch. (88 pts.)

Flight 3

Served with Sweet Breads with Chanterelle Mushrooms with Caramelized Onions and Foie Gras Butter over Angel Hair pasta. One of the best dishes in recent memory. The group agrees this is great.

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• 2000 Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
  Not as offensive as wines 1 and 4, but tart, dry, and unappealing. Not gone, but going. And not going to a good place. (78 pts.)
• 2003 Peter Michael Sauvignon Blanc l'Apres-Midi - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
  Odd nose. Racy, almost burning on the finish. Very dry. Very interesting, but I'm not sure where it's going. (91 pts.)
• 2007 Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Doree - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
  Big tropical nose with honey and slate. Thick, lush and expansive in the mouth. A lot of viscosity. Long and delicious. Should only get better for 3-5 years. My #2 WOTN. Group #1 WOTN. When I found out this is 62% Sémillon, that thought that fit with the lush mouthfeel, but this wine is surprisingly light on its feet as well. Very impressive!
  Day 2: A little left in the bottle is just as wonderful as last night. (94 pts.)

Flight 4

Served with Wild Striped Bass finished with a White Cherry Salsa with on an Arugula Salad and a Crispy Potato Pancake. Perhaps too mild after the previous course, but very nice.

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• 1985 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage Blanc Chevalier de Sterimberg - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Floral lemon nose. Thick and exotic. Very dry long finish. Nice stuff. I would never have guessed that this wine is 20 years older than the other wines in this flight. Amazing! (93 pts.)
• 2005 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Lemon and sassafras nose. Viscous, dry, tasty. Nice stuff. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Sharp, putrid, corked. NR (flawed)
• 2006 Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Knockout nose of tropical flowers and fruit. Thick, dry, complex, very appealing. Wow! My #3 WOTN. (93 pts.)
• 2007 Sine Qua Non Body & Soul - USA, California
  Stunning tropical fruit nose. Exquisite, complex lemon and tropical fruit cocktail. Loads of stones and fruit. A powerhouse wine with loads of flavor and body. My #1 WOTN. Group #2 WOTN. Should drink well for 3-5 years at least. (96 pts.)

Hard to draw any conclusions. Two wines from 1997 and 2003 were totally gone, while a 1985 was wonderfully fresh. Two California wines were clearly at the tops, but some very nice wines from Europe as well.

Posted from CellarTracker

WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

All original content © Ken Vastola