MidWest WineFest

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.