6th Annual Boys and Girls Brunch

Every year or so, a bunch of wine geeks and I get together for a blind smackdown at a Sunday brunch. The tradition was spawned from an old friend who invited all of his male buddies for such an event called "Boys' Lunch", but girls were not allowed. Kara would always be upset that she wasn't invited, so I fired up an inclusive version and named it "Boys' and Girls' Brunch", or BGB.

The idea is fairly simple: Every participant brings a foil-wrapped bottle of wine. Throughout the brunch, the wines are tasted blind and ultimately voted on for first, second, third and LAST place. The first place winner gets a free brunch. The dreaded last place recipient is forced to imbibe some horrific concoction. For example: a shot of Fernet Branca, olive juice, Campari and milk would not be out of the realm of possibilities. It's a refreshing change for me especially since we aren't trying to deduce where the wine is from or what grape(s) it's made from. Rather, this is just about deciding which wine you think shows best - or, more simply- which is your favorite.

The attendees have changed over the years. This year, we had quite a range of experience, including a Master Sommelier candidate, at the table. Even our casual wine drinkers had fairly extensive cellars from which to draw their wine. With so many experienced palates, it was actually quite difficult to determine a wine that would speak to all of the tasters.

With everyone in attendance in the lounge at JAR, the tasting commenced. I poured all of the wines from a decanter to ensure no one would recognize their bottle or foil work. A few white wines were in the mix, as well as a sparkler, which were poured first. I poured slope-shouldered bottled before Bordeaux bottles in a blind effort to create some kind of fair order.

After the initial tasting, we offer the opportunity to retaste any wines side-by-side to determine any close calls. Usually, these tough calls are for first or last place.

With the votes placed and the results on the paper, here is how it all shook out. For those who were willing to donate their notes, I have included some of the comments as they were recorded:


1st place: Domaine de la Bouissiere ‘La Font de Tonin’, 1997 Gigondas

Comments: Tobacco, cigar box, Chinon?, sediment, red, old, GSM, spice, old Bordeaux, gritty tannin, super interesting, Rhone Blend, awesome


2nd place: Orin Swift ‘Abstract, 2009

Comments: Really juicy blueberry and bramble, balanced, Syrah, could be Spanish Garnacha, nice nose, not as boisterous as #7, cherry cough syrup, jammy, blah -, extremely fruity, Beaujolias?


3rd place: Sanguis ‘Waxing Poetic’ 2006Syrah

Comments: Perfumey, dark fruits, butterscotch, brown sugar, brownie batter, viscous, menthe and eucalyptus, lush and sweet, Aussie Shiraz/Cab, big alcohol, nice oak integration, eh...


And the DREADED Last Place: Ravenswood ‘Barricia’ Zinfandel 2006

Comments: Very restrained, lacking much of anything, lavender and herbs? Tight and young – not expressive, can’t get any nose, Malbec/Zin?, cooked?, yucky!, blech!, boring -, too tight and young



The losing participant (who shall remain nameless) was forced to drink the decanter rinse of all ten wines. No spit, but one of the wines was corked.



Other wines on the table were:


Gramona, Cava NV

Comments: Marmalade, toast, apple, fresh fruit, crisp, Schramsberg?, light floral, Roquefort, lemongrass, bright citrus, crab apple, refreshing but not a lot of character, tasty


Cable Bay, Riesling, New Zealand 2007

Comments: Petrol, lime, austere nose, lime bud candy, off-dry, good but a little sweet, buttery nose, fairly soft, tropical, roundness, some age, passion fruit, grapefruit, wet gravel, nice acid, chalk, light, fat and waxy


Tramin, ‘Stoan’, 2006 Alto Adige (Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurtztraminer)

Comments: Grapefruit, grass, citrus rind, New World Sauv Blanc?, bright fresh and sweet on nose, honeysuckle, pineapple, lime, fresh pineapple, warm climate, some oak, Like!, Chard – balanced oak, White Burg?


Chateau de Fonsalette, Cote du Rhone 2000

Comments: Candied red fruits, fat juicy Grenache character, wishy-washy, smells like port, raisins, over the hill, flat, tannin, structure, bland, lighter, a bit mushy


Freemark Abbey ‘Bootleg’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Comments: Mountainside herbal tone, black fruit, restrained, good but not expressive, youthful, strawberry jam, not distinctive, dusty, thin, hedonistic, balanced, young, pretty standard Cab


And, in another tragic case of TCA, a bottle of Pichon Lalande 1995 was corked and disqualified. The cork dorks we are, we immediately tried the Saran Wrap trick. If you're not familiar, there is a theory that Saran Wrap bonds to the molecules of TCA, thereby removing the offensive musty smell. However, the truth is that it doesn't really bring back the fruit to the wine, nor its integrity. That seemed to be the case here, in my estimation.

As always, it was a fantastic time and I leave the event meaning to increase its frequency, but a year always goes by so quickly. A special thanks to all of the participants and their insightful selections. See you soon!