Tag: Piedmont

WSET Diploma

“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” – Katy Perry: NV Martini Asti

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, bubbles
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, youthful, floral, grapey, stone fruit, canned peaches, honeydew, melon
Mouth: sweet, med- acid, med body, delicate mousse, med+ flavour intensity, med length, med- alcohol, candied peach, floral, grapey, stone fruit, hint mango
All in all: Acceptable quality: though there is an intense Moscato flavour on both the nose and palate, the wine lacks acidic balance, complexity, and persistence. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced Non-Vintage Moscato from Piedmont, Italy.
Is really: Inexpensive Non-Vintage Moscato from Piedmont, Italy.

NV Martini Asti[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 3]

Moscato absolutely slays me. I know I’m supposed to be a seasoned WSET Diploma student who learns to cringe at its presence and be as critical to its sweetish facades like a disciplinarian parent to a disobedient child, but it’s so hard.… read more

WSET Diploma

2007 Vietti “Masseria” Barbaresco

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- tawny, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, developing, floral, tar, cherry, wood, hay, spice, dried herbs, dried red fruit, earth, mineral, wood, hay
Mouth: dry, full body, high coarse tannin, high acid, med+ alcohol, long length, med flavour intensity, sour cherry, strawberry, earth, tar, mineral, olive, oak, savoury
All in all: Very good quality: A high acid and amazingly mouth-drying tannins are woven well if not slightly aggressive – but give impressive balanced structure. The levels of complexity are high, and the wine is persistent. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.
Identity Guess: Premium (Barbera/Sangiovese/Nebbiolo) from Piedmont, Italy; 6 years old.
Is really: Super-Premium Barbaresco from Piedmont, Italy; 6 years old.

2007 Vietti "Masseria" Barbaresco[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 1 – Week 11]

Though I’m not the biggest Nebbiolo evangelist (yet), the idea of the grape fascinates me.… read more

WSET Diploma

2010 Batasiolo Barbera d’Alba

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale ruby, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, earth, cherry, black cherry, spice, red fruit, green or herbal component, raspberry, simple
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med flavour intensity, med- coarse tannin, med alcohol, med length, sour cherry, raspberry, earth, spice
All in all: Good quality: the wine is balanced especially with relatively higher amounts of acidity and rough tannin, but it remains a bit simple and could have a longer persistence. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced (Barbera [d’Alba]/Sangiovese/Nebbiolo) from Piedmont, Italy; 3 years old.
Is really: Mid-priced Barbera d’Alba from Piedmont, Italy; 3 years old.

2010 Batasiolo Barbera d'Alba[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 1 – Week 11]

I have a soft spot for Barbera – I really do.… read more

Quaffing

2011 Andrea Oberto Barbera d’Alba

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ ruby, legs
Nose: clean, med intensity, developing, earth, spice, dark cherry, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried fruit
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med- tannin, med+ alcohol, med+ finish, earth, spice, dark cherry, sour cherry, tartness, strawberry, med flavour intensity
All in all: Good quality: the length of the wine is relatively long, but the intensity and power of the flavour characteristics are what propel the wine. Unfortunately, both the acid and alcohol are a little bit off balance, and the nose is dominated by a smoky spice which mitigates other complexity. Can drink now, but has potential for short term ageing.

2011 Andrea Oberto Barbera d'AlbaYay! I chose this wine to celebrate my year’s 1st birthday (although let’s be real here this was just an excuse to open something), and so here I am.… read more

WSET Advanced

2010 Vietti Roero Arneis

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Notes:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, watery rim
Nose: clean, youthful, med- intensity, lemon, minerality, touch of stone fruit
Mouth: dry, med bodied, med+ acidity, med+ intensity, med+ alcohol, med+ length, lemon, peach, minerality
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

2010 Vietti Roero ArneisI’m currently really into reviewing my Italian wines and regions and I have no idea why I’m suddenly into this phase, since I haven’t had some kind of weird Italian wine epiphany following some godly sip of something. Anyways, I love to delve really far into a region (book-wise only unfortunately), and revisit my tasting notes. Most of the time, I think “WOAH, I had the opportunity to taste THAT?” and get angry that my knowledge was more limited back then (despite the fact that it was only last June), and sometimes I doubt what I had rated these wines, since after reading about them, I have a greater appreciation of what they’re supposed to be like.… read more

Quaffing

2009 Cascina Castlèt Barbera d’Asti

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Notes:

Eyes: clear, medium ruby, a little hazy?
Nose: med+ intensity, developing, cherry, hint of red fruit roll-up, wood spice, smoky, oak, touch of floral, vanilla
Mouth: dry, med- body, low to med- tannin, med+ acid, med to med+ alcohol, med+ intensity, med length, black pepper, expressive, cherry, savoury finish, blue fruits
All in all: Good to very good quality; drink now, but has potential for ageing.

The store was not as busy as I thought it would be. There were a couple of costumes here and there but nothing too wild. Which was great! I find Halloween @ UBC to be such a pooper, though, because no one dresses up – and even though I sort of hate Halloween, it kinda sucks when you’re all up in the Halloween spirit and end up embarrassed because you’re the only one in a 200-person lecture that decided to dress up.… read more

Tasting

I NEED A BIGGER KNIFE. (UBC Wine Tasting Sesh #2)

Posted on by Josh

Long-ass day. Doesn’t seem so bad in retrospect, but I woke up early for a 9AM thing at UBC, took the 99 to the last stop for work, and then needed to travel all the way back to UBC to lead Part 2 of the sort-of-intro-to-wine themed tasting, all while wearing pants that weren’t jeans, one of those shirts you’d hate to spill wine on, and shoes that didn’t fit just enough to make my feet cry. The garb was fitting for all of the day’s events but for this day in particular, I would defs have lead a wine tasting wearing nothing but seven layers of random comfortable 7-foot-long linens, cinnamon-bun-Homer-Simpson style. I was that uncomfortable (ugh rain + sickness).… read more