Bordeaux is proving to be a huge section of the WSET Diploma, and so I bought myself a bottle of Champagne as a encouraging self-bribe to get through the damn section. A region so based in its trade, producers, and viticulture leads to meaty entries in the Oxford Companion to do with who married who to get their name on this Château and so forth, along with the different polysaccharides that Botrytis cinerea produces during its metabolism. It’s literally like reading those hideously long entries in the Bible on family trees (or was that Lord of the Rings?), combined with a university chemistry textbook. I’m only approaching the right bank’s regional entries now as I prematurely decide to open this bottle of Champagne, because I can’t wait and I’m thirsty as fuck.… read more
Category: Quaffing
Cream of Mushroom Wasabi: 2007 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Trie Speciale
Wasabi, out of all things, is the flavour benchmark that Master Sommelier Emily Wines gets out of Savennières. As if “earthy” and “mineral” weren’t strange enough to describe to people, we arrive at a wine that’s so weird – yet so classic – that it’s bound to split people in the middle like the burning tire and ash-scented South African Pinotage. Savennières is an appellation from the Loire Valley in France that produces dry, concentrated, and fundamentally non-fruity wines from Chenin Blanc, and Baumard makes exceptional and superlative examples described by Jancis Robinson as “a wine for intellectuals, not neophytes.” That’s the most shade I’ve ever seen anyone throw from within an encyclopedia.
It’s one of those wines that’s hard to put into words: so much, that it almost sounds disgusting on paper, but experiencing the wine – without sounding too ridiculous about it – really is sort of otherworldly.… read more
Liquid Love Handles and Marshmallows: 2011 Treana White
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, med+ lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, oak, vanilla, baking spice, sweet spice, marshmallow, stone fruit, nectarine, orange peel, floral, perfume, ripe citrus, nuts, honey, hint tropical
Mouth: dry, full bodied, med acid, high alcohol, med+ intensity, savoury, oak, butter, ripe citrus, orange peel, savoury, baking spice, sweet spice, peach, floral, nutty, med+ length
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: one of the poster children of complex hedonism. Fantastic concentration, body, and balance of oak – but the alcohol is slightly imbalanced, and the structure may be lacking for some consumers. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
I haven’t had wine in 9 days (for some dumb pseudo-reason like being really sick or whatever) with a few servings of both horrible and delicious beer in between.… read more
Glinda the Good Witch: 2010 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Herrenweg de Turkheim Muscat
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, pale lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful, spice, ginger, citrus, stone fruit, ripe peach, hint mango, mineral, petrichor, floral, orange blossom, tea
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med+ to high acid, med+ flavour intensity, med+ alcohol, strong minerality, wet stones, petrichor, citrus, white peach, stone fruit, hint spritz
All in all: Good quality: the wine has fantastic structure for a Muscat, and a strong minerality carries on to a med+ finish. But both the nose and palate could benefit from more fruit intensity and concentration. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
After much debate at the liquor store – which also made it probably look like I was suspicious – I finally came to the conclusion that this was a day I where the whole “should-I-spend-x-less-dollars-for-this-wine?”… read more
Dido – “Thank You”: 2009 Kumeu River Village Chardonnay
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, med lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, pear, citrus, white peach, melon, cream, lees, hint butter, hint oak, mineral, flint, nuttiness
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med+ acid, med alcohol, long finish, med+ (to pronounced) intensity, cream, butter, lees, pear, white peach, mineral, savoury, lemon, nuttiness
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the developmental secondary characteristics are showing fantastically, with intense lees-y and buttery flavours coming through on both the nose and the palate. The wine retains structure and isn’t blousy, but could use a hint more concentration and complexity. Drink now, but suitable for short-term ageing.
It’s currently a cloudy Vancouver day. We’ve had the rounds – a cold and grey morning, mist here and there, some heavier rain in the afternoon, and the weather gods have decided to reign back on the rain (pun intended), so we’re back to a slightly muggy greyness.… read more
Like Moose Mason from the Archie Comics: 2010 Cailleteau Bergeron “Tradition” Côtes de Bordeaux
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, deep ruby, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, dark fruit, black cherry, blackberry, cassis, hint oak, spice, plum, mineral, earth, hint ash, hint dried black fruit, small hint of green, dark chocolate
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med acid, med+ slightly coarse tannin, med+ alcohol, med flavour intensity, cassis, dark fruit, cassis, plum, mineral, much more earth-driven on palate, hint spice, hint ash, long length
All in all: Good quality: though the flavours are a bit tight on the palate due to tannins that need time to loosen up, there is a long earthy finish and a modestly developed nose. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.
I ate way too much for dinner so I decided that beer wasn’t the best thing to have after work – so between wine and spirits, I went with a half-bottle of the former.… read more
Catelyn Stark: 2011 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, deep ruby, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, youthful, earth, spice, black pepper, hint dried herbs, black fruit, blackberry, mineral, hint menthol, hint cooked raspberry, hint cassis
Mouth:dry, med+ body, med acid, med+ fine tannin, high alcohol, med+ length, pronounced flavour intensity, spice, earth, black pepper, stemmy, black fruit, blackberry, mineral, ash
All in all: Very good quality: the balance is fantastic despite the high alcohol, and there is some structure that captures the warm-climate wine; the length is relatively long and the intensities pronounced. But the slight bit of shadowing tannins mean there are complexities to reveal with time, and the finish draws out a slightly stemmy character. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.… read more
If Bruce Banner were into leather: 2012 Juan Gil “4 Meses” Jumilla
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, deep ruby, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, black fruit, blackberry, cassis, cola, cooked black fruit, spice, earth, brown sugar, soy, vanilla, white pepper, hints of leather, jam, raisin, cinnamon, dark chocolate, black cherries, hint gamey
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med acid, med+ fine tannin, med+ length, high alcohol, med intensity, raisin, black fruit, jam, spice, pepper, hints of earth
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine excels when it comes to concentration – and to a slightly lesser extent, its length and intensity. The balance falls slightly with the fine yet blanketing tannins, and the alcohol balance reveals the slight clunkiness of the wine. Drink now, but has potential for short-term ageing.
What I surely did was make a mistake in opening a huge red on a muggy night.… read more
Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers: 2010 Kettle Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, med lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, herbal, grassy, floral, ripe grapefruit, citrus rind, hint honey, hint butterscotch, nectarine, lemon
Mouth: dry, full body, med+ acid, med+ alcohol, long length, med+ to pronounced intensity, ripe grapefruit, nectarine, mineral, citrus, lemon, citrus rind, honey, savoury
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine gains points for intensity in flavour and texture, while length is also a plus. The wine lacks a bit of alcoholic balance. Drink now, but has potential for short-term ageing.
An interesting day deserves interesting wine. Or does it, because it’s 10PM on a Saturday and all I want to do is be boring and sleep. I’m an exciting 22-year-old.
I had tried this exact wine for the first time just two days beforehand, and I remember it being fantastic.… read more
“Cherry on Top” – Oh Land: 2012 Lavau Tavel Rosé
Tasting Note:
Eyes: clear, med+ pink, legs evident
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, red fruit, cherry, raspberry, mineral, rhubarb, floral, rose petal
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med- ripe tannin, med alcohol, med flavour intensity, med+ length, earth, mineral, floral, rose petal, red fruit, cherry, raspberry, savoury
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: this dry style of rosé from Tavel maintains balance and structure with its round acidity and subtle tannin. There is relatively long length and great intensity, but there could be slightly more complexity. Drink now, but has potential for short-term ageing.
Post WSET Diploma Unit 5 + 6 exam wine! I decided against buying anything sparkling just because symbolism. Bye. I can never outright deny a glass of bubbly if ever offered, but now I can get back to drinking still wines and not feel weirdly guilty about it.… read more