Earlier this week, Harcourt invited a few media folks to Alice Feiring's SoHo apartment to introduce her forthcoming book, The Battle for Wine and Love, an account of "how I saved the world from Parkerization." Guests were treated to a blind tasting with two flights of five red wines each; in this clip, Feiring reveals the first batch. As I've mentioned before, I'm no expert, but I'm willing to learn, and though my terminology may be a bit off—"cough-syrupy" is not the preferred descriptor for the 2005 Fontedicto Pirouette #5, it would seem, so now I notice "a strong fruity tone"—I'm getting a better sense for the aspects I enjoy most in particular bottles. If you get a chance, visit her In Vino Veritas blog for her account of the evening, which includes additional notes on the vintages.

The 2005 Clos Roche Blanche Cot drew the most mixed reactions from the dozen or so tasters. Feiring celebrates its "absence of fruit" as "my antidote to Californian wine," but I didn't care for the taste, particularly once its scent had accumulated in the glass. Harcourt publicist Sarah Melnyk had an equally visceral reaction: