Tag: Cabernet Sauvignon

Life · WSET Diploma

WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 9: Workshop #2

Posted on by Josh

Okay, let’s be real here: it’s the holidays, and during the entirety of the WSET diploma, there was inevitably going to be at least one class that combined horribly with a hangover, and that day was today. I’m stubborn and quasi-meticulous: I’ve never missed a class nor have I ever not written about a wine we tried, but I just don’t have the willpower to give birth to separate posts this time around. Not that anyone’s really counting on me, anyways. Insert booing crowd here.

The last workshop we had consisted of one flight of three wines and some written practice. Today consisted of two flights of wine and no written practice (thank the gods), and we promised our instructor that we would practice on our own as if we were promising our parents to not have a house party while they were gone for a week.… read more

WSET Diploma

Eucalyptus meets leather: Wynns 2005 “John Riddoch” Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on by Josh

Wynn's 2005 "John Riddoch" Cabernet Sauvignon[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

For me, it’s hard to find aged examples of these big wines (in our market, anyways) that seem like they’re more appealing when they’re big and fresh and loud, but it’s always interesting to see what happens to the volume over time. In this case, the deep garnet wine gave notes of big black fruit, cola, mint, and eucalyptus, but there were also evolved notes of soy, leather, and coffee. Full-bodied and viscous, and surprisingly still fresh on the palate with distinct acidity and pronounced but fine tannins. The finish was slightly clunky, where there was a hint of a funky metallic thing going on, but overall I was quite pleased.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Supermassive Black Hole” – Muse: Vasse Felix 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on by Josh

Vasse Felix 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

This was the penultimate wine in the flight, and it was chosen to provide a contrast to the last wine. They obviously differed in age, at first glance, but the instructor also wanted to display the different manifestations of greenness. It’s one of my favourite things to teach, because I love telling the story about how my friend and I thought that the Château Cailleteau Bergeron 2012 Sauvignon Blanc had a distinct note of marijuana (though the vintages on either side were more distinctly grapefruit-scented). In this case, apparently Margaret River Cab has more of a minty character opposed to the classic eucalyptus note of Coonawarra Cab.

It was amazing how mouth-coating the flavours were without bringing down the animated freshness, like an umbrella keeping your socks and smiles dry during a rainstorm.… read more

WSET Diploma

The Burger King of Wine: Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2012

Posted on by Josh

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2012[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 3: Bordeaux]

I predicted that this was Mouton Cadet just because it feels almost integral in a class about Bordeaux, and the profile clicked well: youthful fruit that isn’t particularly aromatic or muted, dotted with unripe herbaceous character and a disjointed hint of confection. There’s oak, apparently, which is impressive for such a mass-produced bottle, and there’s also some earthiness which anchors its identity, at least, to the old world. Though relatively balanced, the wine seems just a bit thin and simple.

I sing the same ditty every time we approach one of these mass-produced wines, and even moreso for the more doctored wines of the world: Mouton Cadet in itself isn’t horrid, but neither is it great for the price point.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Pelican” – The Maccabees: Château Cabannieux Graves 2009

Posted on by Josh

Château Cabannieux Graves 2009[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 3: Bordeaux]

If you didn’t know anything about wine and looked at the label would you think “Graves” meant “graves” and that the picture was of a cemetery? Just, like, a random thought. It’s Halloween on Friday or whatever.

I don’t remember much about this wine including why it was chosen in our first flight of four. What I remember is that the flavour profile was very similar to the second wine in our flight but with slightly more complexity with scents of cigar boxes and brushes of mint along with the developing fruit.

Now that I remember it, there was probably a discussion on how wine from Graves, which is in the southern part of Bordeaux, generally matures quicker than more structured wine from the left bank.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Daniel in the Den” – Bastille: Château Lafon-Rochet Saint-Estèphe 2009

Posted on by Josh

Château Lafon-Rochet Saint-Estèphe 2009[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 3: Bordeaux]

Exciting! Besides the 2005 Château Clerc-Milon I had earlier this year at the Vancouver Wine Fest, I can’t say that I’ve tasted legit classed Bordeaux before. The whole thing is an antiquated list that still dictates prices and prestige at most, so it’s cool getting to try something that has that ingrained reputation. That might seem backwards for someone who studies wine, where it seems like I’d want to try more esoteric and weird things, but Bordeaux is one of those regions where exports are so crucial and centric to its spirit, that it’s interesting and equally as important to understand what the hell people are pulling their dicks out of their pants for.… read more

WSET Diploma

Everyday vanilla Bordeaux, if that’s even a thing: Château Lamothe-Cissac Haut-Médoc 2008

Posted on by Josh

Château Lamothe-Cissac Haut-Médoc 2008[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 3: Bordeaux]

Among all the wines we tasted this sesh, this was admittedly one of the more forgettable ones, so much that I can’t seem to come up with much to write about – it wasn’t horrible by any means, but just middling and anything but idiosyncratic. It’s an example of vanilla ice cream Bordeaux, I suppose, but not the shitty cheap supermarket brand nor ice cream with vanilla harvested by blind nuns in a remote area of Mexico.

The wine had a lighter body, a bit of bitterness, and a bit of heat on the finish making me dismiss this as a simple mid-priced generic Bordeaux. Despite simplicity and having some sort of kink in the braid, the wine had lasting flavours.… read more

WSET Diploma

I don’t even know why I guessed Hermitage: 2011 Emiliana “Coyam”

Posted on by Josh

2011 Emiliana "Coyam"[Tasted during WSET Diploma Unit 3 – Week 1]

I don’t even know why I guessed Hermitage, because I’ve never had one, and there’s no way they’re going to display something that rare (in this market) and expensive on the first day. But sometimes it’s almost like designing (or maybe I’m just watching too much Project Runway in between my tasks which results in garbage fashion analogies), because given the circumstances, it’s important to make it look (or taste) expensive. Or something like that. Maybe ignore this paragraph.

The reveal of Chile seemed so obvious, afterwards, though before landing in the northern Rhône I did venture a Touriga Nacional-based blend from Portugal, if that gives you any more idea about how punchy yet spicy and earthy this was.… read more

Quaffing

Like Moose Mason from the Archie Comics: 2010 Cailleteau Bergeron “Tradition” Côtes de Bordeaux

Posted on by Josh

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.

2010 Cailleteau Bergeron "Tradition" Côtes de BordeauxI 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

Life · Tasting

Wine Bloggers Conference 2014 – Blends: 2 + 2 = 5?

Posted on by Josh

Okay! So flashback to Day 2 of the the Wine Bloggers Conference: it’s one of those times where we have to choose between three different seminars. There’s a seminar each on Merlot (hosted by Rutherford Hill and Duckhorn wineries), something on “How Pros Taste” (hosted by Jackson Family Wines), and then one on wine blends (hosted by Winebow), the last seeming like a strangely divergent topic from the former two. And I know – I should probably be basking in the Californian-based seminars (when in Rome etc.), but I couldn’t help but be intrigued by something less specific and more amalgamate in style i.e. the idea, at the time, of trying a row of Napa Merlots in the California heat made me scrunch my face.… read more