I’m having some friends over for a blind tasting, with a bet on their blind tasting skills. I plan to open a 20 dollar bottle, an 80 dollar bottle, and a 200 dollar bottle. I will be giving them all three, and their goal is to try to guess which is the 20 dollar bottle, which is the 80 dollar bottle, and which is the 200 dollar bottle. We have a bet on this, so the less they get right the better. The $200 dollar bottle (I realize it can be had for less than $200, but I’m including the shipping and auction premium I paid) is going to be a 2011 Ridge Monte Bello, which I have already tried via Coravin’ed earlier this week. For the $80, I’m thinking Caymus, and for the $20 I was thinking something like Mollydooker The Boxer, which I think tastes very similar to the Caymus. Any other recommendations to try to trick these guys?
You could go another route of sowing doubt in the $80-200 wines (assuming they don’t all have to be cabs). E.g., go with higher acid wines for the higher priced bottles / find low CT ratings for general bottles in that range / find something feral. They may feel like something is “off” because its not a napa cab. Loire… Musar… Levet… others could play in that $80+ range. I.E., what are the most AWFE $80-$200 wines out there and perhaps you should include those in lieu of the Ridge/Caymus.
Are these friends that would gravitate towards the Caymus? You might get them with something like The Prisoner “Unshackled” or Caymus’s “Bonanza.”
FWIW, I’ve consumed Caymus, the Mer Soleil “Pinot,” and Bonanza recently and they’re all very similar.
Note I’m not arguing these as the “best” per se, just trying to find something that might throw them off. If you’re open to a different $80 bottle, 2015 Argentiera is drinking very well with a 60 minute decant.