A taste of California, a taste of France

How did five wine-savvy tasters fare as they tried to identify the origins of seven bottles?

1. Newton Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (USA, $53). Winemaker Carrier knew his wine right away, but was mum. Silirie thought the flesh and finish Californian. De Winter noted a lack of herbaceousness. Bender remarked on some powerful forward fruit. Four right; one wrong.

2. Château Talbot, Saint-Julien 2003 (France, $51). Bender noted lots of minty sweet fruit and leather. Silirie tasted "Bordeaux gravel and cedar." De Winter thought it "smelled French." Four right; one wrong.

3. Bleasdale "Frank Potts" Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (Australia, $20). De Winter called it "tricky." Carrier described it as "fruity, but not really ripe." For Silirie, the emphatic vanillin notes were "a little scary." Three right; two wrong.

4. Château Les Gravières St. Emilion "Cuvée Prestige" 2000 (France, $30). Bender suggested the brickish color denoted a mature wine. Silirie picked up aged meat and "rusty pipes." Carrier thought it might be 10-year-old Napa cab, "before the ripeness period." Four right; one wrong.

5. Château Chasse - Spleen, Moulis 2003 (France, $35). De Winter tasted New World mountain fruit; Bender experienced "a rich entry" with cocoa, mint, and vanillin. Carrier noted elements of cassis and cigar, and thought the acidity bit too much at the finish. Three right; two wrong.

6. Château Montrose, Saint-Estèphe 2002 (USA, $60). De Winter found "a lot of winemaking going on." Silirie described minerals, pencil lead, and a raisined element; Bender identified "salty red fruit" and a "jammy" quality. Two right; three wrong.

7. Larkmead Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (USA, $56). Carrier called it a "score wine" for its heavy use of oak. Bender called it (facetiously) "a chocolate dream;" De Winter summed it up: "We're not in Bordeaux, here." Five right; none wrong.

S.M.