Blind de Blinds
A blind tasting of eight varietal Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs hailing from Old and New World regions.
One of my favorite things to do with wine tasting is to throw in blind elements. Not only does it provide an honest indicator of any existing personal preferences (e.g., does one really dislike oaked Chardonnay?), but it can also expand one’s palate and knowledge in wine for assessing quality, variety, region, and age.
There are three general variations to blind wine tasting:
Single-blind: one or more aspect are known about the wine (e.g., region, grape variety, theme)
Double-blind: nothing is known except appearance, with wine to be served in transparent glassware
Triple-blind: nothing is known including appearance, with wine to be served in opaque (ideally black) glassware
SommSelect offers a blind tasting kit and monthly blind tasting membership to explore the world of blind tasting. My friends Kevin and Michele had introduced me to this when they invited some friends over in late 2022 for a blind tasting party to try a Blind 6 tasting kit.
Each of the kit bottles was hand-wrapped in black tissue paper to conceal its identity, providing participants with the same starting point. What began as a single-blind (i.e., a theme of Old World Reds per Kevin) soon evolved into an accidental double-blind. The first wine pour quickly revealed it was, in fact, not an Old World red — or for that matter, a red wine at all. Undoubtedly one of my top wine memories of all time, I’ll never forget the look on everyone’s faces (and the ensuing laughter) when a hue of straw-gold appeared in our glasses. A true study in what single- and double-blinds mean for wine tasting, this tasting kit upended any preconceptions we had for Old World Reds, further evening the playing field.
When it comes to blind wine tasting, I often think of the 1976 Judgment of Paris as the ultimate one, especially with what came after in real life for the California wine world. Organized by the late Steven Spurrier, the 1976 Judgment of Paris was held to compare French wines with those from California, which was relatively new to the international wine scene at the time.
Its panel of French judges, which had included some of the most respected wine experts, sampled a selection of wines from both regions without knowing their origins. The two first place winners for best red and white wines had shocked many across the world, as they both were from California: a Stag’s Leap 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay. This event is frequently credited with putting California wine on the map, challenging the dominance of French wines in the global wine market.
My friends Hayley and Erik had hosted a Judgment of Paris-themed blind tasting last year, where they poured an assortment of wines from both France and California in honor of the eponymous 1976 tasting. They had made excellent selections for the evening, with some victorious in our guesses and others cleverly stumping us all.
I had casually blinded wines here and there, but it wasn’t until these two blind tasting parties that my fascination with blind tasting came into focus. It was a blast tasting together while collaborating on guesses and strategy — so much so it had inspired me to host the next blind tasting for our wine crew.
THE CONCEPT
In an effort to not be overambitious with my first stint as a blind tasting host, I chose to explore Burgundy’s prized varieties — Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — and their various expressions around the world. They say write what you know, a suggestion that writers should draw from their own experiences, knowledge, and insights when crafting works. So here I was, “composing” a blind wineup based on two grapes I’d gotten to know pretty well.
In the spirit of the Judgment of Paris, I included producers that have made exceptional varietal Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs — ones that could hold their own against the great white and red wines of Burgundy as well as against the Blanc de Blancs/Noirs of Champagne. By leaving any personal biases at the door, this blind tasting presented an opportunity to see what truly reigns supreme through palate alone.
To begin, I wanted a Blanc de Blancs as well as a Blanc de Noirs — specifically one from Champagne itself and another made via Méthode Traditionnelle from a “New World” region. By not selecting a sparkling rosé of Pinot Noir, it further maintained the “blindness” of thr tasting, allowing for “typicity” of sparkling Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to shine.
For the Blanc de Blancs, what better selection than a sparkling cuvée resulting from a domestic collaboration by two classic French domaines and a Californian winery? Domaine de Montille of Burgundy, Pierre Péters of Champagne, and Tyler Winery of Santa Rita Hills had joined their individual experiences in hand-crafting wines of purity and transparency to create Racines, a range of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the cool climate of the Californian Central Coast.
This had recently included Grand Réserve. their inaugural sparkling wine with a 2018 base supplemented by reserve wine (15% from 2017 harvest) and disgorgement after 30 months sur lie with dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. With similar “profile” to Grand Réserve from Racines, I found a Blanc de Noirs Champagne from Montagne de Reims with a 2018 vintage and disgorgement after 31 months sur lie with dosage of 5 grams per liter.
Next came the still Chardonnays, for which I sought ones with an unoaked expression, “New World” origin, and Burgundian style. Which appellation would best embody unoaked Chardonnay other than Chablis? This bottling from Jean-Marc Brocard was made from old Chardonnay vines to be fermented in stainless steel with malolactic conversion sans bâtonnage. For the “New World” Chardonnay, I looked to Margaret River in Australia, purposely picked as the “unexpected twist” to showcase the not-as-well-known potential of a stellar region down under. It also checked the box for a barrel-fermented Chardonnay in 100% new French oak. Then to satisfy the Burgundian slot, I revisited Racines for a single vineyard Chardonnay sourced from the Wenzlau Family Vineyard. This offered a Chardonnay vinified partially in new oak (20%) with the remaining done in neutral oak.
Likewise, the Pinot Noirs followed suit. Named after one of the winemakers’ twin daughters, Cuvée Chloe came from the Sonoma Coast, with Pinot Noir sourced from DuMol O’Connell Vineyard, whose vines are a “suitcase clone” from the famed La Tâche Vineyard in Burgundy’s Vosne-Romanée. Next was the Pinot “wild card” from ungrafted vines planted in 1955 within the Río Negro region of Patagonia. And of course to end, there was a Pinot from Burgundy itself — a Premier Cru bottling from Côte Chalonnaise.
To ensure a “single-blind” experience for my friends — and for myself to extent of only knowing which bottles were included but not in which order they were to be poured — I wrapped each of the bottles in aluminum foil, having my husband Marcus randomly number bottles out of sight. I then added some friendly competition to the evening: every participant could earn up to four points for each blind wine by correctly guessing (1) grape (Chardonnay or Pinot Noir), (2) Old World versus New World, (3) country, and/or (4) region or appellation. The person with the most tallied points would be deemed the blind tasting winner — congrats again to my friend Scott for earning the top spot!
I also earmarked a few “bonus” bottles for the group to enjoy after the blind tasting segment of the evening. We popped another Blanc de Blancs, only this time from the Côte des Blancs in Champagne. To end, I threw in two more single vineyard Pinots from the Sonoma Coast: one from older vintage of 2006, while the other from a vineyard planted to the same clone as Cuvée Chloe.
THE WINEUP
/ February 13, 2023 @ Paulus Hook, Jersey City /
Racines NV Chardonnay ‘Grand Réserve’ Sparkling Wine [2018 base]
$60 @ Racines Wine (circa 2022)
Racines Wine (California) | 🇺🇸 sparkling white
Chardonnay
Californian Champagne ・ elegant & expressive ・ salted brioche
Gonet-Medeville NV Champagne Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Brut
$43 @ Saratoga Wine Exchange (c. 2023)
Adrian Chalk Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 sparkling white
Pinot Noir
full flavor & flair・ spiced red fruit ・ creamy chalk
Jean-Marc Brocard 2020 Chablis ‘Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire’
$25 @ Saratoga Wine Exchange (c. 2023)
Boston Wine Co. (Massachusetts) | 🇫🇷 still white
Chardonnay
classic Kimmeridgian・ vibrant (old) vines ・ orchard o’clock
Leeuwin Estate 2019 ‘Art Series’ Chardonnay
$88 @ Wine Library (c. 2023)
Old Bridge Cellar Wines (California) | 🇦🇺 still white
Chardonnay
citrus-pineapple curd ・nashi pear ・ savory acidity
Racines 2018 Chardonnay Wenzlau Family Vineyard
$80 ($69 on sale) @ Wine Library (c. 2022)
Racines Wine (California) | 🇺🇸 still white
Chardonnay
Goldilocks’s Chardonnay ・ balanced minerality ・ cool as a cucumber
Ceritas 2020 Pinot Noir ‘Cuvée Chloe’
$70 @ Ceritas Wines (c. 2022)
Ceritas Wines (California) | 🇺🇸 still red
Pinot Noir
hauntingly beautiful ・ cherry cola & cranberry cocktail・ festively fragrant
Bodega Chacra 2018 Pinot Noir ‘Cincuenta y Cinco’
$55 @ Verve Wine (c. 2020)
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇦🇷 still red
Pinot Noir
aged Burgundy ・ old ungrafted vines ・ power & perfume
Domaine Génot-Boulanger 2019 Mercurey 1er Cru ‘En Sazenay’
$47 @ Wine Library (c. 2021)
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still red
Pinot Noir
decant, decant, decant ・ smoky & sultry ・ opulent red fruit
BONUS BOTTLES
Larmandier-Bernier NV Champagne ‘Longitude’ Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Extra Brut
$85 ($63 on sale) @ Wine Library (c. 2023)
Polaner Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 sparkling white
Chardonnay
pastry patisserie・ chalky minerality ・ ageworthy yet aperitivo apt
Failla Wines 2006 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
$45 @ WineBid (c. 2021)
Failla Wines (California) | 🇺🇸 still red
Pinot Noir
prized estate fruit・ aged asset ・ savory berry medley
Marine Layer Wines 2019 Pinot Noir Upp Road Vineyard
$65 @ Marine Layer Wines (c. 2022)
Marine Layer Wines (California) | 🇺🇸 still red
Pinot Noir
energetic & electric・ lady in red ・ Calera clones
THE CODA
Here are some bottle-by-bottle highlights from this Blind de Blinds tasting of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir:
Many of us thought the sparkling Grand Réserve from Racines was Champagne.
For the Blanc de Noirs Champagne, most guessed Pinot Noir but from California.
The Chablis had the most correct guesses — I suppose unoaked Chardonnay is easier to detect!
A few nailed the Margaret River Chardonnay as a “New World” bottling but from California or Argentina.
It was uncanny how the “random” numbering put the Wenzlau Chardonnay from Racines as the third blind Chardonnay, since it could be easily categorized as the “Goldilocks” one. This wine had characteristics from both Chablis and Margaret River: pear, citrus, and balanced minerality.
My favorite Pinot in the wineup was Cuvée Chloe from Ceritas, radiating as a Sonoma Coast bottling for many folks, given most of us consume a lot of Pinot from that appellation.
Bodega Chacra’s Cincuenta y Cinco had nearly all of us convinced it was red Burgundy, which was especially curious, given the next and final Pinot was actually from Côte Chalonnaise.
The Mercurey Premier Cru from Domaine Génot-Boulanger baffled many as a “New World” Pinot, either from Oregon or South America.
I didn’t realize until later that the grapes found both in the bonus Upp Pinot from Marine Layer and in the blind Cuvée Chloe were sourced from two separate vineyards belonging to the DuMol family as well as planted to the same Pinot clones (Swan and Calera). Love a good tie-in!
In the end, I’ve found the key to a solid blind tasting is sticking with awesome producers that are serious about farming and winemaking. The resulting craft, philosophy, and quality help inform our primary preferences and unconscious biases without other factors swaying otherwise — case in point being many of the “New World” Chardonnays and Pinots were happily mistaken for high quality Burgundy and Champagne.
Wine critic Lisa Perrotti-Brown has characterized1 blind tasting meetups as the poker nights of cork dorks, a sentiment not far from the truth, with stakes measured not so much in stacked chips than with our egos. Not only are we armed with the wine knowledge from past experiences, proper “sleuthing” in a blind tasting has us take a page from that same poker handbook: Play the player, not the game. Perhaps my friends know me and my wine tastes too well, since a good number of them had a hunch I’d include wines for which I’m a frequent flyer: a Californian sparkler, a Chablis, and a Pinot from Patagonia (namely Chacra). For me, that served as the most heartfelt compliment — that is, having thoughtful friends remember those details about you.
Without being too after school special about it, there’s no real “losing” when it comes to blind tasting. Don’t get me wrong: a victory is a victory, with a little dance to follow, but for every wrong guess is another data point earned to further hone your palate and skills of deduction. Plus, you get to reflect on your genuine perception of wine — without labels, appellations, prices, and reputations to influence your judgment.
What a great blind tasting night with some of the best folks in town! It was very eye-opening hosting this crew’s third blind tasting last year — big shoutout to them for making it such a success. Maybe for the next one, I’ll procure black glassware to faithfully blind us all… a true blind de blind de blinds!
“A Lesson in Blind Wine Tasting: Tricks of the Trade” by Lisa Perrotti-Brown from MICHELIN Guide