Old World vs New World – Blind Tasting (Part-2):
Next we moved on to wines 3 and 4, two unknown reds with a medium-bodied appearance and higher than average transparency level.  Early guesses based on looks alone have me thinking along the lines of Grenache, Pinot Noir or possibly a Primitivo.

Wine-3:  Nose – complex array of black cherry, vanilla and smoke;  Flavor – slight floral notes mixed in amongst cherry and ripe fruit.  When compared to the nose, however, the flavors faded quickly.  From nose to finish this wine peaks early and finishes weaker than expected.

Wine-4:  Nose – dry and acidic mineral and earth;  Flavor – hints of sassafras almost like root beer.  This wine seemed somewhat unfinished, as if it hadn’t had adequate time to breath.

Comparison:  Again, I recognized one wine was much more subdued in its bouquet and flavor nuances.  On the palate the textures were also very different, one having the consistency of whole milk while the other had that of skim milk.  (if that makes any sense)  I start to wonder, could there be a pattern emerging here?  Wine-3 was very nice on the nose and contained complex and rich flavors.  Wine-4 contained more spice, was a much drier wine and leaned towards earth and mineral tones with only hints of fruit in the background.  My opinion of Wine-4 was that it simply needed more time to breathe.  I wish I had a Vinturi aerator handy for this wine, just to see if it would open up more.

Unveiling of Wine Type:  Pinot Noir

Wine-3 – New World, from California.  (Lost Canyon Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2009 – $39.99)

• Appellation – Russian River Valley
• Country – USA (California)
• Region – Sonoma County
• Type – Red Wine
• Varietal – Pinot Noir

Wine-4 – Old World, from Burgundy France (Domaine des Perdrix Nuits-Saint-Georges 2010 – $59.99)

• Appellation – Nuits-Saint-Georges
• Country – France
• Region – Burgundy
• Type – Red Wine
• Varietal – Pinot Noir

Leaf and Grape Over-All Score: (thru Part 2)
Old World – 1
New World – 1

Four-Part series links located below:
Intro:  Blind Tasting (Introduction)
Part 1:  Blind Tasting (Wines 1 and 2)
Part 2:  Blind Tasting (Wines 3 and 4)
Part 3:  Blind Tasting (Wines 5 and 6)
Part 4:  Blind Tasting (Wines 7 and 8)