A few years ago this little winery started up a unique event hoping to improve their own practice and have some fun along the way. The event is a blind tasting challenge called “Cougar vs. Italy” and I’ve been pleased to be a judge at all of the annual events to date. The scenario: Like varieties and vintages are tasted head to head, one from Cougar and one from Italy, by a panel of professional tasters and by the wine club membership attending the event. In the past, my scorecard has generally preferred the Italian examples, with Cougar slipping in a win or two. In 2020, however, I preferred Cougar wines to their Italian counterparts in three out of four cases, and the fourth was more or less a coin toss. This Vermentino showed great freshness and complexity, with peach, apple, citrus and faint nut tones riding focused acidity through a lip-smacking finish. Congratulations to Rick Buffington and his staff for rising to the challenge with an eye on authenticity while maintaining sense of place in their wines. Stay tuned for my reviews of the Falanghina, Barbera and Sagrantino over the next few weeks.
Cougar Vineyard & Winery, Temecula Valley (California) Vermentino 2018
By Rich Cook