Premier Charity Event in Wichita, Kansas
Notes from the MidWest Winefest Grand Tasting
April, 2016
Here
are my tasting notes from the Grand Tasting of the Midwest Winefest in April at
Century Two in Wichita, Kansas. There were plenty of restaurants serving small
quantities of appetizers, main dishes and desserts – a whole lot of bite size
goodness throughout the hall. Wine
stations were staggered through the hall, although the lines became problems
when several were stuck together. Here is what I tasted and made notes.
NV Domaine
Chandon Brut Classic
A tasty
light bubbly which started the night perfectly. Hints of yeast with fresh
apple, and pear profiles and a bit of citrus on the end. Very refreshing.
2012 Justin
Justification
A nice
Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend from one of our favorite wineries from the Paso
Robles area. Good dark color and a round
nose of red berries. Balanced mouth-feel, dominated with red and black fruit
with hints of toasty spices. A touch soft in the mid-palate but a nice finish.
Little tannins, drinkable now or could hold a few years.
2014 Hahn
GSM – Grenache-Syrah-Mouvedre
Moderate
nose of red fruits, but not a big mouth-feel. There is strawberry, a little
spice but not much of a finish. Could ber it is young, or just may never flesh
out. Probably better with food – nothing too heavy, maybe pork roast.
2013 Hess
Collection, Allomi Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Good deep
color with a nose of deep, dark colored fruits. Dark berry with hints of
graphite give a broad taste and a full finish with integrated tannins. Very
nice now, better in a couple years.
2013 The
Crusher, Petite Sirah
Light in
color for a Petite – a grape I think is overlooked in the wine world. Nose was
decent, with red and black berry nuances. Flavor seemed almost hollow – hints
of something but not really following through. Finish just disappeared –
overall disappointing. (Maybe the wines before wiped out my objectivity, but,
maybe not)
2014
Cosentino The Cigar Zin (Zinfandel)
Color a
little light for Zin – a grape I’ve enjoyed in all of its styles – and the nose
seemed a little short, without much aroma. The taste had some berry and pepper,
but they lacked much depth. The finish ended short, as well – I have memories
of older Cosentino wines being better…
2012 Girard
Artistry
This wine
had great deep color and has all 5 Bordeaux blending grapes in the wine. A deep
nose of red and black fruit tailed into the taste. A broad flavor with good
balance of the fruits (red raspberry and blackberry) with hints of graphite and
cocoa. Nice tannic backbone for a long finish and good aging potential.
2012
Duckhorn Merlot
Good color
with a modest nose of red fruits. The red fruit has a touch of vegetable in it
– could be the bottle or its dumb phase. Nice finish with some tannins – a wine
that really would excel with food.
2013 Frog’s
Leap Zinfandel
Nice color –
modest nose of red berries. Good flavors of red fruits (raspberry and
strawberry) with nice spice and cedar notes. Moderate aftertaste with a few
tannins. Commendable zinfandel.
2012
Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Selection (Reserve)
Very deep
dark wine with a good nose of red berry and hints of floral aromas. Big upfront
red fruits, followed by a broad mid-palate of berry, cigar box and shades of
spices. Aftertaste lingered with firm but not overwhelming tannins. Very nice
wine.
2012 Justin
Isosceles
Nice deep
color; broad nose of red and black fruits. Broad mouth-feel with red and black
fruits, with smoky overtones (cumin?). Very long aftertaste with moderate
tannins. Approachable now but better a few years down the road. Blend of
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
2013
Haraszthy Bearitage Red Blend
Light color;
modest nose of red fruits. Taste like soda pop – red strawberry – with
sweetness included. Very disappointing – obviously a wine only for beginners
needing something sweet and quaffable.
2012 Spur
Red Blend
From the
folks at Wente vineyards – moderate color. Nose was mostly red fruit. The
flavor had red fruit, plums and overtones of cigar box. Pleasant blend with a
moderate aftertaste –drink now as the tannins disappear.
2014 Chalk
Hill Sonoma County Chardonnay
Golden Green
tinted color – nice fruity nose of citrus and apple. Not too oaky, but a little
butter and citrus flavors with a hint of floral notes. Good finish,
surprisingly long – very nice chardonnay.
2013 Artezin
Mendicino Zinfandel
Dusky dark
color – modest fruit nose, mostly red and blackberry. Good broad mouth-feel,
red fruits, pepper and cardamom with a long finish. A very nicely styled
zinfandel.
2013 St.
Francis Old Vine Zinfandel (Sonoma)
Deep color
with a bright raspberry nose. The full flavor had red fruits and hints of spice
and tobacco with a nice long aftertaste. The pepper is understated, but does
show up while sipping. As usual, a well made zinfandel.
2013 Petite
Petit – Michael David Winery
Moderate
color – a blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot. Modest fruit nose
with some unusual mid-palate flavors – either sulfur or vegetable. The reviews
called it camphor – I call it off-putting. Decent body but the aftertaste was
pretty short. Not what I had hoped for in this wine.
2013 7
Deadly Zins Zinfandel
Decent nose
with good color. Flavor had a soft mid-palate, with red fruits but lacking much
spice or pepper. Aftertaste came up a little short – an average zinfandel
2013 Zac
Brown Uncaged Red Blend
Had this in
our Celebrity Wine tasting – it did pretty well in the voting. Decent color
with a very fruity nose – raspberry and cherry. The flavor is a full frontal
assault of the red fruits, maybe a little too forward. The aftertaste is
moderate, not carrying too much with it. No real tannins, a wine to drink soon.
I also tasted
the 2013 Freakshow Cabernet Sauvignon, but it was near the end of the evening
and it was OK, but not notable. I
finished with a light dry Riesling, I thought was a Schmitt Sohne Riesling, but
they aren’t listed on the wines available. They had a sweeter one, but I drank
all of the dry one as an end to a fun night. I saw many old and new friends. A
great charity event.
Hope you enjoy - keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grapevines.
