Dinner - Zeppoli's (Blind Tasting)

On Sunday evenings Zeppoli's offers a wine tasting and dinner. Sunday, March 18th was a blind tasting of classic varietals. The goal of this blind tasting wasn't necessarily to pair with food but to see if everyone could tell the difference in some of the most classic varietals. 

I had never been to Zeppoli's before and was excited to see what all the hype was about. When my friend and I arrived we checked in and were seated in the little side room to the left of the entrance. There were a bunch of small 4 person tables and only seats for 24 people. I thought it was going to be a dinner and wine pairing and wasn't sure how the plates and glasses for 4 people would fit on this tiny little table. It was a buffet style kind of serve yourself food. The spread was amazing though: cheese and crackers, salad, alfredo pasta with sausage, beef and cheese ravioli, cold pasta salad, cheesy bread, and some kinda of egg-roll thing (not really sure but it was pretty good). Once everyone had their food they served the first wine. The food wasn't paired with the wine so it was kinda strange to be eating such a variety of food with all the different wines. I was glad there was some water to clear my pallet so that I could taste the wines with and without the food.

 

 The wines that we tasted in order:

 

WHITE WINES

1. Sierra Crus Sauvignon Blanc 2010, $7.99

This $8 wine had a 12% alcohol content and was ok, probably my second favorite wine. On the nose for me it had a crisp apple and pear. The taste was kind of bland with a mineral flavor to it. There was a hint of sour apple, kind of tangy. After the initial taste, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

While tasting I guessed it was either the Sav Blanc or the Pinot Grigio, I am proud of myself for almost guessing this wine spot on!

2. Lison Paramaggiore Pinot Grigio 2010, $7.99

This $8 wine had a 11.5% alcohol content which is almost the same as the first one, but to me it seemed a little more on the hot side. The nose on this wine for me was very earthy and grassy. The wine maker says that the bouquet is of hay, walnut and toasted almonds. I would agree with the nuttiness on the nose. This wine didn't seem to have much of a taste at all. I didn't pair it with any of the foods because we moved really fast between wines, but I wish i had. 

During the blind tasting I didn't know what this wine was but by process of elimination I knew it wasn't either of the other two white wines on the list so it had to be the Pinot Grigio. 

3. Leese-Fitch Chardonnay California 2009, $11.99

This Chardonnay has a 13.8% alcohol content which is higher than the first two and it definitely came through. The nose of this wine was light and citrusy with a hint of pear coming through. The wine makers says that there is a strong fruity smell that becomes roasted chestnut and vanilla caramel apple. I didn't smell that at all. The taste I got from this wine was creamy, oaky, and tart. I didn't taste any fruity components to this wine but the creaminess lasted for a while. This wine is very full-bodied.

This wine was easy to guess because it was a creamy white wine with oaky components. It has to be a Chardonnay. 

4. Opera Prima Moscato Spain NV(no vintage), $5.99

This moscato from Spain only has 7% alcohol. On the nose for me i had a strong lemony fresh clean, crisp green apple aroma. The wine maker claimes there is an intense aroma of fresh grapes, fruit syrup and hints of white flower petals. This could have been a fair description as well. Of course there were bubbles (my favorite part). This was a fabulous moscato and the wine maker says it best: a silky and pleasant sweetness, balanced by a crisp, refreshing finish. By far my favorite wine.

As soon as the server popped the cork we all knew it was a moscato. 

RED WINES
**My red wine descriptors are not very good yet but I'll give it the best I got.**

5. Kenwood Yulupa Pinot Noir 2010, $14.99
*only allowed to be sold in restaurants and is more of an American style pinot noir. 

This Pinot Noir has a 13.5% alcohol content and was quite hot. The nose of this wine was spicy yet fruity which a hint of berries and cherries. The only taste I could detect was the peppery spiciness which a little bit of some kind of berry.

The wine maker states that the fruity aromas are of boysenberry, strawberry and cherry joined with notes of vanilla and spice. This wine is 99% Pinot Noir and 1% Syrah and aged 11 months in French and European Oak. 

6. Poggio Vipere Chianti DOCG 2009, $11.99

This wine has a slightly lower alcohol content of 12.5% and was not as hot. On the nose i smell a fruitiness of maybe berries or plums, but also get a spicy aroma. The taste of this wine was again peppery but had a full mouth feel. The flavor of tart berries is the only thing that comes to mind. 

The wine maker states it has a good body and persistent aroma with hints of cherry spice. In the mouth, it reveals itself as soft, fresh, and pleasantly balanced. 

7. Hope Merlot Hunter Valley 2009 Austrailia. $11.99

This wine has an alcohol content of 13.5% which is a little much for me. At this point I am running out of ways to describe red wine because they all seem to smell and taste the same to me. I thought the nose of this wine was fruity, maybe cherry, and spicy. The taste of this wine was sour and dry, and very peppery. 

This was one of the favorites of the group, however I didn't agree. The wine maker states there are aromas of dark plums and vibrant fruit. A dense, well rounded palate of cherry, chocolate richness with some spicy, integrated oak characters. 

8. Cholila Ranch Malbec Fatagonia Argentina 2010, $10.99

The alcohol content just keeps rising, this malbec coming in with a 13.9%. The only aroma I detected was berry and cherry. The taste of this wine had a strong vanilla flavor that coated the mouth. 

The wine makers tasting notes claim aromas of ripe plum, mulberry with violet hints, ripe black fruits and fig on the palate, and touches of smoke and vanilla. The wine maker also claims this Malbec is truly powerful yet balanced with a persistent finish. 

9. Chasing Lions Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 North Coast California, $13.99

This wine had a 14.1% alcohol content! WOAH! The aromas I found from this wine was berry with an almost potpourri sent with and earthy tone. This taste of this wine was oaky and dry with lots of tannins and maybe a hint of licorice. Not my most favorite wine. 

The wine maker says that this wine shows wonderful scents of blackberry, cassis, tobacco, leather and plums on the nose followed by a deep concentrated roundness on the palate with lovely textures and pure flabors of dark fruits, black licorice and toasty oak. 


This wine is made of: 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. 60% aged in 2 year old French Oak, 40% aged in 2 year old American oak.

Overall the experience was enjoyable, there were some great wines and there were some not so great wines (in my opinion). I would love to do this again but with more of a wine-meal pairing. The blind tasting was fun and I might try it again some day to see if I can actually guess the wines.