Just in time for the holiday season, today's guest post comes to us from Emily Scadden, MBA '14 and member of UCLA Anderson's highly popular Wine Club. The group's mission is to educate members about all things wine-related, for both personal and professional development.
Standing in front of a label-free bottle of Bordeaux, I think to myself, “It’s go-time.” I give my glass another tilt and let the smooth red swirl from the tip of my tongue to the back of my throat. After two failed attempts to discern the main characteristics of this lovely blend, I’m determined to redeem myself in this blind Bordeaux tasting. I’m confident it’s a medium-bodied wine, with a vintage between 2008-2012. But as for dominant varietal and flavor, clearly the complexity of the wine is getting the best of me.
Hmm, what can it be?
I faced this challenged to my palette at the Bordeaux Matchmaking event at Monsieur Marcel in Beverly Hills last night. The event brought together more than 200 wine enthusiasts from UCLA Anderson School of Management and USC Marshall School of Business. And with more than 20 wines from Bordeaux being poured, the region showed off the diversity and complexity of its offerings.
As the grand-père of the blend, Bordeaux reds take their flavor mainly from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, and malbec grapes. The whites from sauvignon blanc and semillon. After answering a survey of my tastes and preferences before the event, I was matched with a flight of whites from Bordeaux including a Chateau de Caulet, Lys de Cournillot, Chateau Marac, and Monsieur Marcel, Entre-Deux-Mers. Nearly a dozen custom-designed flights satisfied the tastes of the other revelers.
The mystery pour that had stumped me? Turned out to be Chateau Peylaby, Medoc, an earthy, medium-bodied, 2010 dominated by cabernet sauvignon grapes. Good thing you don’t have to be a sommelier to appreciate a great glass of Bordeaux. All it requires is good company and a taste for adventure.
To learn more about the Wine Club, check out this Daily Bruin article and head over to their website!
