ungrafted thursday blinds 7/30

30 Jul, 2026

1.

Guess: ❌Undefined final guess. At first guessed Sauv Blanc USA
Actual: Sauv Blanc USA

• Went well: perceived asparagus at first pass. wrote sauv blanc at first
• Didn't go well: second guessed asparagus on second pass sending me into non sauv blanc “what could this be” territory
• Other thoughts: structure changed on second pass (acid down, roundness up)

Story of Soil (Jessica Gasca), Sauvignon Blanc, Grassini Family Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara 2024 - ~$38 direct from producer

• Vitification: 100% Sauvignon Blanc (Grassini Family Vineyard).
• Vinification: Small-lot, minimal-intervention label; single-vineyard, single-varietal bottling. Sauvignon Blanc aged roughly 10 months in a combination of stainless steel and neutral French oak. Gentle processing, low case count (Gasca cut her teeth at Dragonette Cellars).
• Source: storyofsoilwine.com, http://storyofsoilwine.com/wine ; cestwhatwine.com, https://www.cestwhatwine.com/post/story-of-soil-a-visit-to-the-ground-beneath-the-glass
• Confidence: Medium. Producer page confirms wine/vintage/price; aging detail is from a recent winery-visit writeup (cuvée-typical, not a 2024 spec sheet).

2.

Guess: ❌ Gruner lol
Actual: Chardonnay Chablis

• Went well: smelled minerally, tasted grapefruit. Said no oak and it’s all stainless steel
• Didn't go well: it seemed atypical chardonnay so I didn’t guess chard.
• Other thoughts: I didn’t get any MLF or lees aging that is common for Chablis. There was hardly any nose on the wine
• 👎Did not like this wine

Domaine Bachelier (François & Florence Bachelier), Chablis AOC 2022 - ~$25 to $28 retail

• Vitification: 100% Chardonnay.
• Vinification: 8th-generation estate in Villy (northernmost Chablis); Kimmeridgian limestone on both banks of the Serein. Traditional temperature-controlled fermentation; entry-level AOC Chablis raised exclusively in stainless steel on fine lees ~5 to 9 months, then filtered and bottled at the estate (old-vine and 1er Cru cuvées see some old oak). Certified organic.
• Source: wainscottmain.com, https://wainscottmain.com/products/florence-et-francois-bachelier-chablis-2022 ; thevinepost.com, https://thevinepost.com/products/domaine-bachelier-chablis-2022
• Confidence: Medium-High. Two US importer/retailer sheets agree on producer, site, and steel-only élevage; exact 2022 ABV/RS not published (Carrefour lists 12.5%).

3.

Guess: ❌ Riesling Finger Lakes
Actual: Albarino

• Went well: I correctly perceived no petrol. Should have trusted this to not go riesling.
• Didn't go well: The ripping acidity, which to me on an absolute basis but also on a relative basis to the other wines, sent me to Riesling ...
• Other thoughts: Such an aromatic wine! Didn’t go to Albarino straight away cuz recent Albarinos didnt have as much intensity of aroma. I also wasn’t getting exotic fruit but was getting more floral (tho I guess I said peach so …). I also didn't get any phenolic bitterness from this wine that is normal for Albarino ...
• 👍I liked this! Good value for $

Forjas del Salnés (Rodrigo Méndez), Albariño 'Leirana,' Rías Baixas 2025 - ~$25 to $28 retail

• Vitification: 100% Albariño (Val do Salnés).
• Vinification: Village-blend from vines across Val do Salnés (planted ~1952 to 1982; sandy/granite soils near sea level). Low-intervention: native-yeast fermentation, extended lees contact without bâtonnage, no malolactic, minimal sulfur; raised roughly 70% neutral foudre / 30% stainless for about 6 months. ~12.4% ABV in recent vintages.
• Source: depanneurwines.com, https://www.depanneurwines.com/products/bodegas-forjas-del-salnes-leirana-albarino-rias-baixas-2023-750ml ; oleobrigado.com, https://oleobrigado.com/techsheetgen/?id=840-leirana-albarino
• Confidence: Medium. Farming/élevage from importer sheets for adjacent vintages (2023/2024); no dedicated 2025 spec sheet found, so exact foudre split and ABV for 2025 unconfirmed.

4.

Guess: ✅ Cab Franc
Actual: Cab Franc!!!

• Went well:
• Didn't go well: Forgot the regions in France that make Cab Franc so looked it up. Not too sure what the main tasting notes for Cab Franc are
• Other thoughts: This guess was a flyer. I got so much stemminess, non-fruit, not much oak at all.
• 👎Did not like this wine. All stem, no fruit

Domaine de Pallus (Bertrand Sourdais), Cabernet Franc 'Les Pensées de Pallus,' Chinon AOC 2024 - ~$25 to $30 retail

• Vitification: 100% Cabernet Franc.
• Vinification: Flagship single-terroir cuvée from a mid-slope terrace in Cravant-les-Coteaux (sand with iron-rich rocks over limestone); biodynamic farming, hand-harvest, ~34 hl/ha. Indigenous-yeast fermentation and long maceration (~21 to 30 days) in concrete; aged ~12 months in older Burgundy barrels plus a rest in concrete before bottling.
• Source: domainedepallus.fr, https://domainedepallus.fr/en/pensees-en/ ; klwines.com, https://onthetrail.klwines.com/on-the-trail-blog/domaine-des-pallus
• Confidence: Medium-High. Producer page gives cuvée vinification; maceration length and barrel/concrete rest vary slightly across sources; no 2024-specific sheet, so exact days/ABV for 2024 unconfirmed.

5.

Guess: ✅Nebbiolo Langhe
Actual: Nebbiolo Langhe

• Went well: Placed the structure (tannins) alongside the visual
• Didn't go well: Nose didn't line up with my expectations for Nebbiolo (I smelled something red fruit rollup-ey)
• Other thoughts: Smelled black tea, tasted black tea, which was actually nice. But overall balance seemed off so wouldn't buy
• 👎Did not like this wine

Margherita Otto (Alan Manley), Langhe Nebbiolo DOC 2023 - ~$30 to $35 retail

• Vitification: 100% Nebbiolo (Barolo-zone fruit).
• Vinification: Traditional Barolo-trained producer (Manley is the former right-hand to Maria Teresa Mascarello at Bartolo Mascarello). Fruit from parcels in Monforte d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba (marl soils). Hand-worked vines, native-yeast fermentation, shorter maceration than the Barolo bottlings to keep it bright; aged in large neutral botti (10/25/35/52 hl, Mittleberger cooperage).
• Source: biondivino.com, https://biondivino.com/products/margherita-otto-langhe-nebbiolo-2023 ; rarewineco.com, https://www.rarewineco.com/media/183755/margherita-otto-tech-sheet.pdf
• Confidence: Medium-High. Importer tech sheet and retailer notes confirm approach and cellar work ("short fermentation" per retailer); exact 2023 maceration days/ABV not published.

6.

Guess: ❌Bordeaux blend
Actual: Cab USA

• Went well: Perceived that creamy quality which the producer described as "heavy cream". Producer also described onyx (black) core with garnet rim which is also what I wrote :D
• Didn't go well: Kept second guessing myself to guess Rioja because I haven't had enough Rioja and the nose/oak took me there. I also wasn't getting a lot of green which made me second guess Cab Sauv. Ultimately guessed Bordeaux cause I had some similar really delicious Bordeaux in July in TO for birthday and it reminded me of that
• Other thoughts:
• 👍Loved how this smelled and tasted. No surprise then with that price tag

Brown Estate (Brown family), Cabernet Sauvignon 'Big Dam Cab,' Napa Valley 2018 - ~$100 to $135 (current release $135)

• Vitification: Cabernet Sauvignon (estate single-vineyard).
• Vinification: Brown Estate's only single-vineyard Cabernet, from the block on the face of the estate's "Big Dam" reservoir in Chiles Valley (Napa Valley), a steep spring-fed ravine flanked by granite cliffs. Family-owned estate, first vintage 1996; estate-grown, hand-harvested.
• Source: brownestate.com, https://www.brownestate.com/wines/2016-big-dam-cab ; wine-searcher.com, https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/brown+estate+big+dam+cab+sauv+napa+valley+county+north+coast+california+usa
• Confidence: Medium. Producer confirms the wine, site, and single-vineyard status; no 2018-specific tech sheet found, so exact 2018 blend %, oak regime, and ABV are unconfirmed.