Last week, we talked about our barrel tasting experience with Star Lane’s winemaker Tyler Thomas. This fantastic experience was followed by another event that left the Wine Ponder guys in complete admiration of such awe-inspiring mastery. As they wrapped up the first part of the day in the underground tunnels of the winery, they headed back upstairs to learn about the art of wine blending. They were going to have the opportunity to create their own Bordeaux-style blend. It was the epiphany of their combined wine adventures, and Steve shared every detail of it in this article. Enjoy!
Wine Blending Bash
There were approximately ten tables of six-tops. So, Laurent and I made our way to Table Five and joined two other couples. There was David & Dana from Paso Robles and James & Taylor from Northern California. Both couples really enjoyed wine. After introducing ourselves and settling in, Tyler started the presentation. Make sure to check our wine blending video below, and listen to Tyler talk about the ins and outs of wine blending, and explain the intricacies of this entire process.
Crafting Harmony In A Glass
Tyler’s perspective about blending wine was perfectly stated: Have fun! He proceeded to walk us through some of the considerations. All the tables had 2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 bottle of Merlot, 1 bottle of Cabernet Franc, and 1 bottle of Petit Verdot. We each had our own measuring flasks, so we were able to create our individual blends to our heart’s content, within the 45-minute time limit. What takes winemakers several weeks/months to get it right… We had 45 minutes. Oh well… We were having fun!!
To start, we each tasted the individual bottles to get a sense of what the wines were like. Needless to say, the wine in those bottles was just wonderful! But we were there to blend. So, we put on our ‘mad scientist thinking caps’ and proceeded to mix and match the various varietals with different formulas, conversing amongst ourselves along the way.
Blending Away To Our Heart’s Content
Several of us started with a 25/25/25/25 formula and worked our way from there. I jumped to a formula in my head driven by my gut instinct: 30% Cab Sauv/30% Cab Franc/20%Merlot/20% Petit Verdot. In retrospect, I wanted to make the combination a little more ‘structured’ and have a bit more tannins for my pallet. So, I adjusted it to 30% Cab Sauv/30% Cab Franc/25% Petit Verdot/15% Merlot. Well, all these numbers and words don’t really describe the experience if you’re not familiar with the process. But ultimately, it is a great feeling to have a taste profile in mind and work towards making that become a reality… Yes, a bit ‘wine nerdy’.
It was time for our table to share our results with each other. So, we passed around our measuring flasks and everyone got to taste each of our ‘carefully conceived’ blends. It was most interesting that 5 of the 6 were very similar in taste, albeit slightly different combinations with slight nuances. David, however, opted to make something more ‘interesting’ and ‘unusual’. And it was. That’s not to say it wasn’t good. If I were to pour a glass of that blend, I would say it was interesting and quite drinkable. The fact is that we had 4 great wines to start with… So, I am guessing that we would have had a harder time screwing it up than making something very enjoyable to drink.
Wine Blend Decision
Sadly, every good thing must come to an end. Thus, the clock had ticked down and it was voting time. We had to choose one of the blends from our group and submit it to the judges – Tyler and Niko (the assistant winemaker). When you ask 6 people what do they think, you end up with 9 opinions. As referenced earlier, many of the blends were similar in nature. In fact, Dana and Laurent’s respective blends were only 5 centiliters away from being identical! And the tiny variation was between Merlot and Cabernet Franc. That doesn’t seem like a big difference but it can make all the difference in the glass, subjectively speaking of course.
We ultimately decided to submit Dana’s blend. Her blend consisted of 50% Cab Sauv/25% Petit Verdot/20% Merlot/5% Cab Franc. A measuring flask was filled with that beautiful concoction and taken up to the judges’ tasting area. As we all talked amongst ourselves, I watched Tyler and Niko do what they do. Swirl, smell, taste. Focus…
And The Winning Table Is…
Clang Clang Clang! The tapping of the glass got everyone’s attention. The entire room went silent, as Tyler set up the reveal. He explained that it was tough to determine a real winner as everyone did a great job. Ultimately, he called out… Table Five!
Needless to say, it took about half a second for it to sink in. “That’s our table!!” Lots of cheering and high-fives rattled the room. We each had won a bottle of the 2017 Astral – Star Lane’s coveted high-end Cabernet Sauvignon. What a day! Laurent and I got to spend the afternoon together blending wine, meeting new wine friends, talking to Tyler… And taking home a bottle of one of my favorite Cabs.
More Wins???
But it wasn’t over… The raffle ticket drawings had two more members at our table to win some more wine. Taylor won the 3-pack of Star Lane wine and Dana won the magnum of the Astral. And everyone in the room got to take home a bottle of their blend. Talk about some fun wine booty!
Looking back, it wasn’t about all the nice gifts… Or even winning the ‘competition’. It was about the great people and great wine. Because after all, “Wine is only as good as the people with whom it is being shared.”
Hello Wine Ponderers!
Laurent here – Steve said it all so beautifully, it was as if I were there… Oh wait, I was there! And it was indeed one of the most memorable experiences. It definitely made the top 10 list when it comes to our wine adventures. Listening to Tyler talk about wine blending confirmed what I was thinking all along… The process of making wine is the existential proof that art and science can work together. Though it can quickly become such an overwhelming experience, one must remember to relax and have fun, and that’s what we did!
The subjectivity of the matter reduced some of the pressure I naturally felt. We all wanted to create an enjoyable blend but as Steve said, we couldn’t create a “bad” blend even if we tried. I didn’t get to try the blends from the other tables but I bet they were all fine. I had fun blending wine and making a huge mess on my blending chart. In the end, I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was priceless and we are happy to share it with you all.
Make sure to watch the above video on YouTube. And in case you missed it, here is a link to the first half of this magical day: barrel tasting.
Man oh man, it seems like you and Steve had a ball! AND WON!!! Very interesting video of your leader explaining what you were going to do and what some key considerations might be.
My late Brother Royboy loved to put aside a bottle or 2 of a nights tasting/drinking as being 2nd tier but possibly “fixable”. Then the next night we’d taste his concoction(s) and he’d explain what he tried to do and whether he succeeded. I will sure miss him!
Yes, we did have a ball! As for your brother, he was doing a very noble thing ;)