Author: Josh

DipWSET, Certified Sommelier, garbage person.
Quaffing

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen: 2012 Château d’Aydie “Odé d’Aydie” Blanc Sec

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, mineral, apricots, vanilla, spice, citrus, floral, cardamom, hint of pineapple, honeydew, nuttiness, primarily stone fruit with some tropical
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med acid, med+ flavour intensity, high alcohol, mineral, peach, apricot, apricot pith, lemon zest, honeydew, floral, med+ length, savoury finish, savoury spice, gummy bears
All in all: Good quality: though the strong minerality almost overtakes the fruit on the palate, there is a fresh perkiness despite the expected fuller body. The alcohol is slightly hot but the character is intense. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

2012 Château d'Aydie "Odé d'Aydie" Blanc SecNever have I ever had the pure expressions of the Manseng twins in a bottle of wine, mostly because you can’t find these guys in this market.… read more

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Tall, dark, handsome, suave, flirty, foreign: 2010 Lagarde Malbec DOC

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep purple, legs, (high viscosity)
Nose: clear, pronounced intensity, youthful, plum, wood, spice, black pepper, earth, dried cranberry, cherry, red fruit, black fruit, leather, hint of dark chocolate, blackberry, hint dried floral, blueberry
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med acid, med fine tannin, med+ intensity, med length, high alcohol, bramble, oak, wood, red fruit, cherry, cranberry, cherry pith, floral, hint of dark chocolate
All in all: (Very) good quality: the wine has a concentrated and punchy Malbec character but still retains some sort of finesse. The alcohol is well-balanced, and further complexity would drive this wine to be of higher quality. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

2010 Lagarde Malbec DOCWhile saving up for school until the end of the 2013 year, I found myself thinking that working full time until the next semester was a good idea.… read more

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The chill person at that one house party: NV Joan Raventos Rosell Cava Brut

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med lemon, bubbles
Nose: clean, med intensity, developing, green fruit, apple, citrus, slight yeastiness, hint of butter
Mouth: dry, med body, med- to med acid, med- flavour intensity, med- length, med- alcohol, citrus, lemon pith, aggressive and persistent bubbles, slightly bitter finish
All in all: Good quality: the non-fruity character of this Cava gives way to slightly more complex hints of bread and butter with a balanced character. But there is a lack of structure and some complexity. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

NV Joan Raventos Rosell Cava BrutYay! So a miniature celebration was in order after having completed the WSET Diploma Unit 4 (Spirits) and half of Unit 1 (Business) exams and essays. Slaved over cue cards and confusing non-wine tastings plus sleepless nights over essays (from which I’m still unfortunately recovering), and this wine serves both an homage to the past and future – I thought it would be cool to retry a wine I had a little more than a year ago in my WSET Level 3 class, and maybe refresh my actual wine tasting ability I’ll need for January.… read more

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A ray of sunshine on a cold autumn morning: 2011 d’Arenberg “The Stump Jump” White

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, legs
Nose: clean, youthful, med intensity, ripe citrus, minerality, peach pith, honey, melon, hint stony bitterness
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med+ intensity, med alcohol, med length, citrus, lemon, peach pith, just-ripe peach, savoury, touch of creaminess, honey, ripe citrus, minerality, floral
All in all: Good quality: a balance of structure frames direct fruit flavours and a present minerality, but there could be more complexity. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

2011 d'Arenberg "The Stump Jump" White]It is three weeks until my WSET Unit 1 coursework assignment is due and two weeks until my WSET Unit 4 spirits exam. And here I am reviewing wine, because number 1: I am crazy, and number 2: I miss wine. I miss wine.… read more

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That extra in that one movie: NV Barón Cortes White

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, legs
Nose: clean, youthful, light intensity, floral, mineral, nuances of stone fruit and melon, slight greenness
Mouth: dry, med- body, med+ acid, med- alcohol, med- length, savoury stony vanilla finish, med- intensity, citrus, lemon rind, melon
All in all: Acceptable quality: the wine has some form of balance and is quite drinkable, but lacks some character, intensity, and concentration. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

NV Barón Cortes WhiteI will always give cheap bottles a chance, just like I give shitty people a chance. Also, I don’t trust the backs of bottles.

But really. This wine isn’t as bad as I thought it would be – although in the same price range of the (also non-vintage) Finca del Rey Malvasia Moscato, this wine exchanges its character for a more balanced mouthfeel.… read more

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A 1950s pin-up girl, or Mr. Fireman September: 2012 Tahbilk Viognier

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- lemon, legs, (med viscosity)
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, mineral, ripe citrus, nectarine, stone fruit, just ripe peach, apricot, yogurt, floral, spice, cardamom, tea, hint honey
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med intensity, med+ acidity, med alcohol, med+ length, savoury, ripe citrus, lemon, peach, apricot, mineral, (med complexity)
All in all: Very good quality: the leaner New World style of Viognier shows finesse, elegance, and persistence along with a slight lack in complexity. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

2012 Tahbilk ViognierBest served slightly chilled if not at room temperature. An example of a wine that shies away while having spent time in the fridge, but reveals itself when in its vulnerable nakedness with no lack of temperature to hide behind.… read more

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A fantastic half-bottle of partly cloudy bliss.JPG skies: 2010 Albert Mann Pinot Gris

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- lemon, legs, (med+ viscosity)
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful, mineral, spice, ginger, stone fruit, dried stone fruit, citrus, nectarine, citrus rind, musk, green fruit, honey, floral, hint tropical, hint botrytis???
Mouth: off-dry, med+ to full body, pronounced intensity, med acid, med+ alcohol, long finish, stone fruit, spice, pear, citrus, citrus rind, honey, slightly oily texture with balanced acid, slight phenolic bitterness to finish, hint tropical
All in all: Very good quality: the wine has a characterfully ripe palate and balanced components (despite high alcohol) with a long finish. Can drink now, but has potential for short term ageing.

2010 Albert Mann Pinot GrisI love Alsace, or at least the idea of it. And not just for wine – the idea of a cool climate with constant sun sounds about like my dream weather.… read more

Life · WSET Diploma

Riesling to the Occasion

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Oh hey! The quicker you understand the pun, the higher chance that you’re pronouncing “Riesling” wrong. But it’s all good. Sucka.

There’s something about August that ends up being too busy. You’d think that it would be the summer void-hole month of boredom that makes me crave the September Issue newness of my life, but it’s more like a crescendo. The same thing happened last year. I guess that happens when you decide to do things during the summer.

I’ve since completed the lecture portions of Unit 4 (Spirits of the World) for the WSET Diploma. Interesting as hell, but equally as tough. Arguably, the world of spirits is a little bit more focussed, which in turn, which makes it easier to learn.… read more

Quaffing

NV Antech “Doulce et Fruitée” Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, bubbles, [low viscosity]
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, ripe red apple, apple cider, ripe citrus, almond, caramel, hint of graceful oxidation, toast, dough, mineral, honey
Mouth: medium-sweet, med body, med acidity, low alcohol, soft and persistent bubbles, med+ flavour intensity, ripe red apple, almond, butterscotch, apple skin, apple strudel, hint of citrus, med finish, [med+ complexity]
All in all: Good quality: a unique and expressive character shows just enough balance with its sweetness, acidity, and effervescence. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

NV Antech "Doulce et Fruitée" Blanquette Méthode AncestraleI am currently in the middle of my WSET Unit 4 (Spirits of the World) Diploma studies and am quickly going through packs of flash cards like a chain smoker goes through packs of cigarettes.… read more

WSET Diploma

2010 Redtree Petite Sirah

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Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ purple, legs
Nose: clean, med+ acidity, youthful, black pepper, damson, jam, raspberry, red fruit, spice, vanilla, earth, black cherry, cloves
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med+ fine tannin, med alcohol, med flavour intensity, med finish, black pepper, jammy red fruit, raspberry, blueberry, ripe
All in all: Good quality: has rich and concentrated jammy fruit that doesn’t veer onto the depths of confection. The wine has a good amount of structure, but the finish is slightly overripe. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

2010 Redtree Petite SirahI am not one to cradle Petite Sirah out of all grapes. Petite Sirah, a crossing between 1880 Peloursin and Syrah (also called Durif). I’ve never loved a wine that Petite Sirah has touched – it’s not unusual to find this in a jammy (and sometimes confected or even off-dry) Californian Red; more than a few examples have been enough to condition me away from it.… read more