My job is pretty sweet.  Every once in a while, I get to go to a meeting and taste tons of wines and beers that I would otherwise never experience.

Today was epic.  Somewhere around $800+ worth of wine was open for the tasting.  That covered only 18 bottles.

I thought it would make a good entry to just share my notes.  I tasted these all in basically one sitting, scribbling notes as I went.

I always write down the first thing I think of when I experience each wine.  If a particular aroma reminds me of that one thing I had that one time, I write it down, no matter how personal or obscure or bizarre.  

That being said, here’s a peek into what I got to taste today:

Tesoro della Regina Prosecco
NOSE: lemon, lime, grapefruit, jasmine, pear
TASTE: round, mineral, pear, bright, citrus (florality = bass note)

2009 Château Dauzac Margaux
NOSE: burnt marshmallow, brioche, cooked cherry, sugar cookie
TASTE: smooth, a little hot, vanilla, campfire, soft spice, bakery

2007 Mauro Sebaste Prapo Barolo
brown/garnet!
NOSE: fig newton, strawberry, brown sugar meringue, leather
TASTE: raspberry, excellent tannic grip, pencil shavings 

2006 Castello della Paneretta Chianti Classico Riserva
NOSE: raisin, chocolate, sweet cedar, strawberry, cherry
TASTE: beautiful fruit, cherry, sour cherry finish, basil, grainy tannins, rustic

2009 Bodegas Benegas Malbec
ruby
NOSE: meringue, plum, cigar smoke, mildew
TASTE: blackberry, bitter chocolate, soft spice
(reminds me stylistically of some McLaren Vale Shiraz I’ve had)

2008 Bodegas Benegas Lynch Meritage
NOSE: celery, herbaceous, cherry hard candy
TASTE: black cherry, creamy, candy fruit flavors 

2005 Casado Morales Rioja Seleccion Privada
NOSE: funky, blackberry, body odor, Starbucks
TASTE: big fruit, dark fruit, mocha, smooth, bright

2009 Courtney Benham Stag’s Leap
fruit bomb!
NOSE: double chocolate cookie, black licorice, kirsch, frappucino
TASTE: massive fruit, too much makeup [read: oak], fluffy candy cab, cold

2008 Anam Cara Nicholas Estate
NOSE: wheat toast, tea cake, red fruit, that Norwegian biscuit thing I had that one time
TASTE: strawberry, raspberry, cola, light and plush

2009 Winderlea Pinot Noir
NOSE: blueberry Pop Tart, candied cherry
TASTE: beautiful, luscious ripe red fruit, vanilla-mint finish

2007 Adam’s Bench The Reckoning
48% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc
NOSE: smoked bitter chocolate, blackberry, black coffee grounds
TASTE: like a shadow, soft blackberry jam, chocolate finish

Stevens 424
NOSE: barnyard, astringent, cassis, soy sauce
TASTE: blueberry pie filling, whiff of cedar, floral (much rounder than it smells)

Cadence Ciel du Cheval
NOSE: ginger, cauliflower, dark fruit, stale?
TASTE: blueberry, chow mein noodles

Cadence Tapteil Vineyard
NOSE: bell pepper, plum
TASTE: acidity, vegetables
(WHAT IS GOING ON?!)

Boyanci Inspire Cabernet
NOSE: tomato sauce, cedar, red fruit
TASTE: very full cherry, spicy finish

Paul Hobbs Black Cordon
NOSE: gravy, vanilla oak, dark fruit
TASTE: really spicy, soft, blackberry, metallic/mineral 

Barbour Cabernet
NOSE: candy cherry-strawberry, chocolate and plum
TASTE: peppered chocolate, raspberry, intensely candied

Bevan Cellars Showket Cabernet
NOSE: leather, tobacco leaf, blackberry, campfire smoke
TASTE: sweet cedar, spicy, blueberry, gorgeous finish (peppery!)
(Deceptively austere nose; the flavor is actually quite relaxed and friendly.) 

There you have it.  You can see how I got a little tired towards the end.

My favorite was probably the 2007 Adams Bench The Reckoning.  The wild spectrum of chocolate flavors that express themselves from that single bottle is both astounding and comforting.  That bottle is a steal at $35.

Thanks for reading!  Tasting premium wines isn’t easy, but someone’s gotta do it.  ;)

—a