Game I play with two close friends every so often.
We pick a vintage range of approximately 5 years, this nulifies regional vintage conditions (in this case 1990-95).
We then pick type of red, only Cabernet/Blend or Shiraz.
Each person must then provide my wife with 2 bottles that fall in this category, plus two clean decanters by 5PM, of that day.
Wines are then decanted for approx 3 hrs, and a coded sticker put under each decanter to denote wine. All 6 deacanters totally consumed before wine are revealed.
Lots of debating, to come to a consensus decision. Lots and lots of fun, strongly recommend.
For your interest results below of last Fridays bash.
6th. 95 Cyril Henschke - overly oaked and thin, very disappointed when revealed, hopefully bad bottle?
5th. 95 Leconfield - light past its peak bland nose.
4th. 92 Joseph Amarone - real Jeckyl and Hyde wine, just when you though it was complex, the next sip would let you down.
3rd. 91 Penfolds Bin 407 - well balanced wine, with most secondary characters pretty developed.
2nd. 94 Petaluma Coonawarra - soupy cassis, complex long finish. Outstanding with many years ahead.
1st. 94 Sepplet Dorrien - super wine, with some believing it was a Shiraz Cabernet ring-in. Very fresh, lots of length, with a dollop of licorice to confuse everybody. Unanimous decision.
The big suprise was, before the event, there was debate on whether it would be Margaret River or Coonawarra, with everyone hoping someone would have also brought a Mount Mary or Lake Folly.
In the end, no VIC or WA wine, and the show stolen by a Barossa Cabernet!