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BOTTLE vs. BOTTLE

Round three- Taste (2 points).


(10 points would be a perfect score) 

We decanted it for a good hour or so, and then dinner was served. Needless to say, it was delicious and paired great with the steaks, but then another Wine Problem arose- we drank it all! It left us longing for more, but we didn't have another bottle on hand. HOWEVER, we did have a bottle of the 2010. We had bought that one at the same time as the '09, but it was not one of the wines that we were able to taste. Assuming that they should be comparable, we elected to open it.


The '10 was quite good, although not as good as its predecessor, but then it occurred to me that it did not get the benefit of a decant, nor a pairing. Truth be told, after some time in the glass, it got even better, and started to give the '09 (or at least the memory of it) a run for the money. And as the clock struck 2017, the light bulb turned on in my head, and so here we are...

Bottle vs. Bottle 6: Vertical Edition- 2009 vs. 2010, Krupp Brothers Veraison Cabernet Sauvignon,

or as Nicole suggested we call this one, Brother vs. Brother.   

Click on image to enlarge  sample score sheet. >>> 

As usual, Wine Problems would like to thank John & Noelle Fanaris, and the always great staff at Rustic Kitchen. We highly suggest that you check it out!


Rustic Kitchen is located at: 3523 S. Centinela Ave. 

Los Angeles, CA., 90066.   Phone: (310) 390-1500.


Go check out this market, café, and wine bar- the food is awesome, and they have great wine!

John, Nicole, and Michael.

the 2009 Krupp Brothers Veraison Cabernet Sauvignon ever since we got it. After all, it was our #flightfavorite from our Krupp Brothers tasting, when we visited Napa back in September.

It was New Years Eve and we had encountered yet another Wine Problem- what wine to drink with our last dinner of 2016? We knew that we were having some big, juicy steaks, so that pretty much made a Cabernet a no-brainer. We were fortunate to have many different cabs in our cellar to choose from, but for someone as indecisive as me, that is both a blessing and curse! We wanted something that had been in the bottle for at least five years, and I had been eyeballing

2010!  Although we must say that this was a close one, folks, with a final score of 14-13. In fact, if this competition was based on taste alone, the 2009 would have narrowly been the winner. The truth is though that you can't go wrong with either vintage, and it was really fun to experience the changes that each vintage went through over its time in the glass. We should also tell you that, upon further discovery, we found out that neither vintage is 100% cab (albeit the 2010 is mighty close at 97%; 2% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot). The 2009 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon; 7% Petit Verdot; 6% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; and 5% Malbec; its alcohol is content is slightly higher as well (15.3% vs 14.7%). *FYI- In the US, the requirement is that the composition of the stated varietal must be at least 75%, and thus can include up to 25% of other grape types.

As usual, we started with immediate pours from our contenders, and quickly realized that the color was pretty much identical, so we agreed to call that category a draw. Next was the aroma category, and while both Nicole and John preferred "Wine B," Michael went with "Wine A." But when it came to picking a favorite in this round for the taste, all of the judges went with "Wine A."

We contacted our regular guest judge, John Fanaris, and let him know that we were giving him a break from choosing a contender. If you've been following Bottle vs. Bottle, you already know that John is a Sommelier as well as the owner of our usual BvB "boxing ring," Rustic Kitchen. John had never

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Then the food came, and with "Wine B" in the lead, it was time for the third and final round- the pairing round. Well lo and behold, another unanimous choice with all of the judges flip-flopping yet again and choosing "Wine A".....but would it be enough to give it the overall win?!   

CHALLENGE #6 :  March 1st, 2017

2009 KRUPP BROTHERS VERAISON CAB SAUV. vs.2010 KRUPP BROTHERS VERAISON CAB SAUV.

had any of Krupp Brothers' cabs before, so we knew he'd be in for a treat.  

ROUND 6: VERTICAL EDITION!

  2009 KRUPP BROTHERS VERAISON CAB vs. 2010 KRUPP BROTHERS VERAISON CAB

Now it was time for the one hour decant, and to figure out what food we were going to be pairing with the wine? We opted for a rib eye steak, braised short rib, and veal meatball sliders. We were all pretty hungry, so the hour seemed like an eternity, but finally it was time for the second round. This round was unanimous with all three judges selecting "Wine B" as their choice for both aroma and taste, and one would think that after five previous BvBs, we judges would get used to the constant flip-flopping, yet we still find it surprising every time this happens! 

The Rules:

1.) Each bottle will be stored at the same temperature until serving time.

2.) Each bottle will be poured into identical decanters marked "A" & "B" (a third party will do this so that the judges do not know which is which).

3.) ROUND 1- A glass of each wine will be served immediately from the decanter and judged on its aroma, color, and taste. Each judge will mark which of the two they preferred in each category on their individual score sheets, without letting the other judge(s) know their choices.

4.) ROUND 2- After one hour of decanting, another glass of each wine will be poured for the judges and again judged again, but only on aroma and taste (ie. no color judging in this round), without letting the other judge(s) know their choices.

5.) ROUND 3- A food dish will then be served to pair with the wines, and the judges will secretly score which of the two wines they felt paired best.

6.) The judges will tally their individual score sheets and reveal their respective winner.

Scoring in each category is as follows:

Round one- Aroma (1 point), Color (1 point), Taste (2 points).

Round two- Aroma (1 point), Taste (3 points)

The Premise:

Remember the Pepsi Challenge?! We'll we thought we'd do the same thing, only with wine!

We thought that it would be fun to take two wines that we really love, and put them up against each other in a blind tasting. To be fair, the wines must be of the same varietal; in the same price range; served at the same temperature; and in the same type of glass. Our "competitors" will usually be from different wineries, but occasionally they might be the exact same wine, just different vintages. They could even be the same brand and vintage, but from different vineyards. Make sure to follow us on either Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter to stay posted on when our next match up will be!


LET THE BOTTLES BEGIN!