• 1996 Joseph Phelps Insignia – USA, California, Napa Valley (11/7/2009)
  Huge pine forest nose… like walking on to a Christmas tree lot. Flavors of fresh bing cherry, baking spices, cedar, espresso, leather, and a zippy acidity that belies its 13 years of age. Very long finish with a smooth, rich mouthfeel. I didn’t love this wine to the extent some recent tasters did, but all-in-all, an excellent bottle. Probably the one thing holding this wine back from stratospheric scoring with me was that cedar nose… it was almost too much. I wish I had this bottle a couple of years ago. (93 pts.)

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According to research cited in the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail recently, it does. Study participants were given 3-5 identical — though they didn’t know it — glasses of wine to taste and then asked to indicate which glass they thought was the best wine.
It’s commonly accepted, and supported by past research, that the attitude “first is best” is prevalent. This again proved to be the case: When subjects were given only 3 glasses, they preferred the first glass.
Heck, it could be for other reasons. I almost always think the appetizer was the best part of a meal.
I know anecdotally from pouring our two wines that approximately 3/4 of folks prefer Butterdragon over Baconbrook. This isn’t because Butterdragon is better, but it is more approachable young — and all our wines are still young — plus it has more mass appeal than the brawny mountain fruit of Baconbrook. However, in side-by-side “horizontal” tastings, if I lead off with the Baconbrook, that 3/4 preference for Butterdragon goes down. It doesn’t work out that the first poured wine is always the favorite, but the crowd-pleasing popularity advantage of Butterdragon is minimized. My experiences seem to mimic the study results.
Back to the study cited in the Globe and Mail article.
When the the number of wine samples went up, and particularly as the wine experience level of the test subjects went up, the preference started to be towards the last sample glass. Researchers had a theory about why this order preference changed:

“Wine geeks thrive on discovering new and ever-better drinking experiences, so they’re more likely to give subsequent options a chance… [T]hey will keep looking and they will give themselves even more of an opportunity for something later in the sequence to beat the current favourite.”

Here’s where my experience seems to be different than the study. When I am pouring multiple vintages of both of our wines, no matter what serving order I pour, tasters usually gravitate towards the wine that is currently drinking the best and the 3/4 Butterdragon preference holds true. One thing to also note is that tasters in this setting with me, like in the study, are usually fairly experienced in wine. Without a public tasting room, my vertical tastings are with my customers accustomed to buying $60+ bottles of Cabernet.
According to the article, “The results have an obvious implication for the wine industry.” If trying to sell an overstock or high-profit wine, serve it first. If trying to impress a sophisticated buyer, save the best for last. At your own dinner party, they also recommend saving the best for last as the first wine will shine anyway. Really? At least according to my experiences, it’s not so “obvious.” While I can see the advantages of organizing a tasting so that it builds to a crescendo, I don’t think sophisticated palates are so easily swayed. One also runs the danger of your tasters suffering from palate fatigue before they ever get to the wine you really want to shine. Just because a study using identical glasses of wine shows an order preference doesn’t mean that it will translate to real-world enjoyment of wine.
I’d like to see a bit more information about this study. The article does not say how the subjects indicated their preference. Did they try each wine and in the end just say which they liked best? Or did they write notes — and perhaps even score — the wines as they went along and use those notes and scores to determine the preferred wine? I think the results could be different.

• 2002 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (10/24/2009)
  Wonderfully mature but still vibrant. Golden color. Perfect for the season because it is like biting into a caramel apple without anything getting stuck to your teeth. Touch of lemon pudding, tropical fruit bowl, and mineral notes too. This wine is like a classic book… I feel like each time I would revisit the glass, new complexities would emerge. Drink now, the time is right. It’s really rare for me to score a wine this high, but this is incredible. (95 pts.)

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• 1999 Castello del Terriccio Tassinaia Maremma Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Maremma Toscana IGT (10/22/2009)
  Dark and brooding with a wonderful nose of freshly turned earth, ripe plums, and cedar. The wine is refined and tannins smoothly integrated. The fruit, however, seems to be a little too delicate and I wonder if it will last in this wine. I think they’re fading too quickly. Finish is very dry and dusty. I’d drink up. (88 pts.)

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• 2006 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (10/22/2009)
  Not hugely expressive at this time, with aroma of cloves and subtle flavors of lemon peel, green apple, river rock, and roasted nuts. Nicely balanced and delicate now but I suspect a few years in the cellar would be the right call with this wine. Excellent but I wish I had paid retail rather than wine list prices for this wine. (91 pts.)

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• 2006 Vina Pargua Pargua II – Chile, Central Valley, Maipo Valley (10/19/2009)
  Overripe plum with woodsmoke and green herb offer some promise but the finishing tannins turn bitter and disjointed. A few years in the cellar should help. I didn’t hate this wine, but it’s hard to think of when one might use it right now. At almost $20 retail at a LWS, it’s possibly a bit pricey to serve passed at a party or host bar. Right now, I’d put it with a rustic, hearty meal. (79 pts.)
  

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Ouch. Sometimes a wine is just not good and you don’t know why.

• 2000 Château Pavie Macquin – France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (10/16/2009)
  Nice cassis aromas but very thin, muted flavors and mouthfeel, short finish. It seemed tired which should not be the case. I could not identify any specific defect but judging by others’ tasting notes, I suspect something was wrong. I’ll withhold a rating for now.
  

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• 2006 Milat Merlot Estate Bottled – USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (10/15/2009)
  It’s easy to miss Milat as you whiz by on Highway 29 south of St Helena. It’s a very small winery and tasting room and often is going to be staffed by a member of the family. But their wines are good and reasonably priced. When folks ask me for a recommendation of where to taste that doesn’t require an appointment, this is one I mention. I like their wines with their Chenin Blanc being my favorite. This Merlot isn’t big or especially complex, but it is charming with sour strawberry pie flavors that make you pucker until the meal starts but then go very nicely with food. Nice value too at about $20. (86 pts.)

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I know we’re lucky here in California, particularly in Northern California and wine country, when it comes to being able to bring wine to a restaurant. Many folks in other parts of the country can only dream of being able to legally do this. Although it’s not unusual for a corkage fee to be waived, particularly if one also buys wine from the restaurant’s list, typically the charge ranges from $15 per bottle to $50, usually towards the lower end of that scale. So the other night, we’re at a local Oakland place that I like to support. It’s near our house and the food is excellent. BUT, the wine service was terrible on this night. The waiter popped the corks on some really good bottles, brought the cheapest, smallest stemware, did not have a decanter available for our red wine, and waited too long to bring out an ice bucket for our white. [Sigh.] Corkage was $20 per bottle. I was none too pleased paying $40 basically for the waiter to use a cork screw and for them to stick a few glasses in a dishwasher. I’ve been there before and received excellent wine service on my brought bottles, so I will give them one more chance. Still…

If you’re going to charge me corkage, give me good wine service.

• 1997 Oakford Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (9/3/2009)
  Brooding and dark with moist earth, tobacco, and some sour blackberry. Unlike a few recent tasters, I think this wine has past its prime. While still showing significant tannins, I don’t think the fruit balance is there for longer aging. Could perhaps have benefited from a vigorous decant which unfortunately wasn’t available with mediocre BYOB wine service at a local restaurant. (86 pts.)
• 1996 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/3/2009)
  Deep gold color and huge nut and butterscotch nose. Butterscotch and caramel flavors predominate with honey-lemon tea undertones. This wine suffered from rather indifferent wine service at BYOB local restaurant. The requested ice-bucket never arrived. Not rated as I don’t think we were able to see this bottle at its best. Still, I love Kistlers with some age!

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• 2005 Karl Lawrence Aldin Red Table Wine – USA, California, Napa Valley (9/4/2009)
  The red wine from Aldin (Karl Lawrence) represents one of the best values in Napa Valley. A right-on-the-money profile of rich raspberry and currant with enticing flavors from a midsummer garden and cedar backbone. Not tannic, not overbearing, it just delivers an excellent bottle of wine and in a complex vintage like 2005 it can’t be beat at the price. Note that this wine shows its best right out of the bottle and doesn’t need an extended decant… it tends to turn dusty with a lot of air and after open for a while. (87 pts.)

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