From 32 wines, 4 remain. Another will be sent home today. Who will move on? Today’s show down is between (2) 2006 Stephen Vincent Crimson ($11) hailing from Whole Foods vs. (1) 2004 Chateau Chevalier Napa Cabernet ($15) which calls Trader Joe’s home.
Once again if you need a refresher on the rules you can find a recap here. The main one to keep in mind here, per the picture above, that these were tasted blind (again I know… single blind). As in round 3 we were performing joint tasting. I was again paired up with RJ from RJ’s Wine Blog for this effort. Before we jump in, let’s look back and see how these two got here:
- The Stephen Vincent played a tight game with the Castle Rock Pinot but ultimately prevailed 88-85. Velvety in color, nose of light red fruit. Nice richness on the palate and a zinging sourness on the finish. CastThey pulled this one out with a balanced team-effort.
- The Chateau Chevalier ignored the Rosenblum Jekyll and Hyde routine scoring a 90-86 victory. Big dark fruit on the nose. Super Balanced on the palate with lush flavors leading to a dry chalky finish. This wine is humble and restrained throughout. The Chateau Chevalier delivered with consistency.
With pregame covered let’s get to the real action via my twitter news feed…
2006 Stephen Vincent Crimson ($11): What before seemed balanced and rich became thin and underwhelming in this contest. Didn’t have the chops to go against the big boys. Rating: Not for me
2004 Chateau Chevalier Napa Cabernet ($16): What consistency! A nose loaded with dark fruit. Rich flavors leading to the lasting, trademarked dry chalky finish. This wine feels like it just keeps going and it is. On to the finals…Rating: Wow
Word is in from the southern regional that the Bodega Norton Malbec has beaten the Talus Pinot. That leaves two wines standing and a championship date. The Chevalier vs. the Norton. Tune in Monday for the exciting finale!
