Old World vs New World: Red Flight At Jake's On Sixth

What better way to spend time waiting for friends for dinner than to do a flight of wines. Saturday night I was at Jake's On Sixth and decided to try their Old World vs New World red flight, two Pinot Noirs and two Tempranillos with one entrant in each from "Old World" and one in each from the "New World".

For the Pinot Noir wines I sampled (with WSET notes):

Queen of Hearts Pinot Noir 2008 "Santa Barbara"

Appearance: Clear, medium (-) intensity ruby with a broad core, defined meniscus.

Nose: Clean. Wine was served a tad warm so got a whiff of the 14% alcohol. Got some red fruits, strawberry, oak, a touch of cherry cola.

Palate: Definitely dry, medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, tart and tangy, got black cherries, cranberrie, almost a peppery spice. Medium length finish.

Overall, ok but didn't do anything for me.

Hob Nob Pinot Noir 2007, France

Appearance: Clear, medium intensity ruby/purple Much deeper, darker core than the Queen of Hearts.

Nose: Clean. medium intensity cherries, cranberries, touch of violets.

Palate: Dry, medium acidity and tannins. more smooth than Queen of Hearts (but to be fair it's also a year older). Medium (-) bodied, balanced fruit, acid, tannin and alcohol with just a touch of spice on the medium length finish.

Winner: Hob Nob, Old World

Now on to the Tempranillo...


Campo Reales Joven Tempranillo, 2009 "La Mancha"

Appearance: Clear, deep, almost opaque purple. Deep core almost to the rather thin meniscus.

Nose: Clean, meidum (+) intensity of earth, leather, tobacco and darker fruits.

Palate: Dry, medium (+) acidity and tannins with very good fruit. Medium bodied, nice flavors of tart cherries, touch of black pepper, medium length finish. Made me want some grilled steak.

Duende Tempranillo 2007 "Lodi"

Appearance: clean, again a deep purple but not quite as deep as the Campo Reales. Color goes to a defined meniscus but lightens up a bit the closer it gets.

Nose: Clean, medium (-) intensity in fruit. Similar notes of smokiness, earth, cherries. Either a very dark chocolate or espresso, difficult to tell because some woman thought it a good idea to wear heavy perfume to a wine bar.

Palate: OK, here I get the chocolate rather than the espresso. Medium acidity, medium (+) tannin. Medium bodied, nice hints of tobacco, dark chocolate and cherry flavors. Medium length finish.

This judgment was more difficult than the Pinot Noir but I give a slight edge to the Duende. Have to say, either would be a good choice for an outdoor BBQ.

Number of wines reviewed in 2010: 69