blind tastings

Lenné Estate hosts 4-6 blind tastings each year. These events are open to the public and feature 8 wines for attendees to taste, rate, and rank. Each guest is furnished with eight glasses and is poured a sample of each wine for side-by-side comparison. Talk is kept to a minimum while everyone evalutes the wines and makes their own decisions about which they prefer. The blind tasting concludes after 25-30 minutes when everyone has finished evaluating the wines.

The tasting and comparison is fun, but the real excitement comes during the reveal. Lenné staff double blinds all the selections; one person puts the bottles into bags, then a second mixes them up and numbers them 1-8. This way no one has any idea which wines are in which bags, and since there's always one Lenne wine mixed in, it's fun to try and find it, and of course we hope that many/most of the attendees like that one.

The reveal is done wine by wine, usually led by Lenne's proprietor/winemaker Steve Lutz. Steve is as in the dark as everyone else about which wines are which, and he starts with wine #1, asking who liked it or didn't, what people thought about it, etc, before pulling off the paper bag and revealing the identity. Steve then speaks a bit about that wine, the vineyard, the winemaking techniques, etc, giving guests insight into why each wine shows as it does. This continues wine by wine and often results in applause, laughter, or gasps of surprise as the group discovers what they really think about the wines that they've never before truly blind evaluated.

The blind tasting concludes with lunch via a hearty antipasto board featuring meats, cheeses, breads, crackers, vegetables, pickles, olives, and other such fare. There are usually a few ounces left in each bottle, giving attendees the chance to revisit. We also include a tasting of Lenné wines in the ticket price, so guests who want more wine to taste in a non-blind format can do so.

Our blind tastings are themed so the wines offered are related and comparable. Recent examples include:

High end Oregon Pinot Noirs; all wines retailed for $100+.
French Burgundies; 7 Pinot Noirs from France + 1 Lenne wine.
Red vs. Black -- Oregon Pinot noirs, 4 from Dundee Hills (red) and 4 from Yamhill-Carlton (black).
Oregon chardonnays -- all $45 and up.

The blind tastings at Lenne host up to 18 attendees (space is limited since we typically just have one bottle of each of the wines) and the ticket price includes the tasting, all the info of the presentation, lunch, and a tasting of Lenne wines afterwards.

Please join our email list or follow our events on Facebook to receive updates about upcoming blind tastings; we typically offer 4-6 per year and tickets go fast. Lenne wine club members receive their usual discount off tickets, and members of our Taproot Silver or Deeproot clubs receive 2 or 4 free passes to seated events each year.

Please let us know if you have additional questions or would like to book some spot(s) in our next blind tasting. Email us at eric@lenneestate.com or call the tasting room: 503-956-2256.