Category: Quaffing

Quaffing

Princess Peach: NV Domaine Zinck Crémant d’Alsace Brut

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, bubbles
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful, mineral, apple, citrus, lemon, stone fruit, white peach, hint yeastiness
Mouth: dry, creamy mousse, med- body, high acid, med- alcohol, med+ length, med+ intensity, green apple, citrus, lemon zest, stone fruit, peach, hint yeastiness
All in all: Good quality: the wine has well-balanced structure with high acid that doesn’t make the mouth pucker. A citrus zest flavour lingers on the finish, but the wine could use a bit more complexity. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

NV Domaine Zinck Crémant d'Alsace BrutWell, here we are. Around ten days left until the terrifying WSET Diploma Unit 5 + 6 exams. After piling through a decent amount of flash cards, I decided I deserved wine. That and I’ve also been cooped up in the house for more than 24 hours and decided that a walk to the liquor store would be sufficient exercise – which obviously it wasn’t – but let’s pretend it was.… read more

Quaffing

Sandor “The Hound” Clegane: 2010 Máté “Mantus” Merlot

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep purple, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, dried red fruit, dried black fruit, earth, mineral, black cherry, dark chocolate, hint barnyard, spice, cloves, cinnamon, fruitcake, blackberry, plum, white pepper
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med+ acid, high slightly coarse tannin, high alcohol, med length, med flavour intensity, earth, dried red fruit, black cherry, mineral, spice
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine shows promise with a complex nose with concentrated and intense flavours. But the tannins tightly close around some of the flavours. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.

2010 Máté "Mantus" MerlotHoly shit is this potent at 15% ABV. But overall, the aromas are a little less boisterous, and you can imagine the level of spice that emanates from this alcoholic bombshell.… read more

Quaffing

Oberyn Martell: 2005 La Rioja Alta “Viña Arana” Reserva Rioja

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med ruby, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, developing, mineral, earth, brettanomyces?, dill, red fruit, dried red fruit, cherry, raspberry, hint dark berries, leather, green tea, menthol, coffee, tobacco, soy
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med- fine tannins, med alcohol, med+ to pronounced intensity, red fruit, dark cherry, earth, tea, oak, dried herbs, long length
All in all: Very good (to outstanding) quality: the wine is complex and multi-layered. The palate is an elegant style for Rioja and is persistent, though a little more concentration and complexity on the mid-palate would have fleshed this wine out to its best. Drink now, but suitable for short-term ageing.

2005 La Rioja Alta "Viña Arana" Reserva RiojaLet’s make this a quick one! I’m rushing through these flash cards like a madman – a madman who takes a break every 5 minutes to watch internet videos he’s already seen five times over.… read more

Quaffing

Margaery Tyrell: NV Skillogalee Sparkling Riesling

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ lemon, bubbles
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, citrus, lemon, lime, lemon zest, petrol, floral, white flowers, mineral, green pineapple, hints of yeast, hint smokiness
Mouth: dry, med body, high acid, med alcohol, med+ length, pronounced flavour intensity, lemon, lime, lemon zest, floral, citrus explosion
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine excels in its uniqueness, flavour intensity on the palate, and relatively persistent flavours. Slightly more complexity would have propelled the wine into a higher category. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

mt2

NV Skillogalee Sparkling Riesling

A wine that smells and tastes like flowers, citrus, and sparkles like royalty. Hence the whole Margaery Tyrell sort of thing and the eternal sun that Highgarden seems to be in.… read more

Quaffing

Bree Van de Kamp: 1997 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl “R” Riesling Auslese

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ gold, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, mineral, ripe citrus, lemon curd, marmalade, red apple, baked apple, apple pie, peaches, petrol, spice, honey, floral
Mouth: medium-dry, med+ body, med acid, med- alcohol, med+ length, pronounced intensity, ripe apple, honey, spice, minerality, earth, lemon, peach, dried apricot, slate, pastry
All in all: Very good quality: this unctuous Riesling Auslese achieves great balance with the body, intensity, sugar, and acid. Alcohol has just the slightest imbalance despite a mere 11.5% ABV and there could be a little more complexity. But the intense concentration of what flavours are there is impressive. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

1997 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl "R" Riesling AusleseIt’s a Friday night. I’ve been home all day studying (and recovering from last night, for that matter) just to give myself an excuse to open something fantastic given I work through this fat stack of Champagne flash cards (which I did).… read more

Quaffing

“White Nights” – Oh Land: 2013 8th Generation Pinot Meunier Rosé

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med pink, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, red fruit, rhubarb, citrus, strawberry, floral, hint roses, hint herbaceous
Mouth: off-dry to medium-dry, med body, med- acid, med- alcohol, med length, pronounced flavour intensity, red fruit, candied strawberry, rhubarb, floral, roses, hint spritz, little to no noticeable tannin, slightly woody finish
All in all: Good quality: the wine is deliciously gulpable with pronounced melodies of strawberry, rhubarb, and some floral notes. A bit more structure, finesse, and length would make this wine sparkle.

2013 8th Generation Pinot Meunier RoséThis wine serves to be a bit of a delicious double-edged sword for me at the moment. I’ve been craving an off-dry no-nonsense drink-all-of-me wine since the rainy morning. And I was doing so well for not having had a drink for two days in a row, but here I am.… read more

Quaffing

Hipster Champagne: NV Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvée Brut

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- lemon, bubbles
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, ripe green apple, citrus, lemon, yeast, hint brioche, mineral, caramel, salted nuts, lees
Mouth: dry, creamy mousse, med- body, med+ acid, med alcohol, med+ flavour intensity, mineral, green apple, citrus, yeast, hints of brioche, roasted nuts, nutty and oxidized finish, hint butter, med+ length
All in all: Very good quality: impressive here is the drawn-out nutty length that I more commonly see in aged vintage traditionally-made sparklings. There is balance and a moderate amount of complexity, but there is a hint of bitterness on the finish as well. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

NV Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvée BrutI feel dumb opening this on a Thursday night. But I convinced myself that I’ve earned it for doing a lot of work today.… read more

Quaffing

Monday afternoon in a bottle: 2012 Artero Macabeo Verdejo

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med- intensity, youthful, mineral, pear, citrus, hint orange, stone fruit, peach, white flowers, hint herbal
Mouth: dry, med body, med- acid, med alcohol, med flavour intensity, med length, mineral, pear, citrus, stone fruit, floral
All in all: Good quality: while the wine lacks in complexity and persistence, there is a balance and moderate intensity on the palate.

2012 Artero Macabeo VerdejoThis wine serves as a symbol of my half-assed sort of not really “New Year’s resolution” to try all the cheaper value wines in the store. It was also my house “emergency wine”, just in case I decided I wanted to drink today (which evidently I did), and it also served as my reward wine – so I had a goal of studying a certain amount of things (Which happened to be Champagne) before I was allowed to open the wine.… read more

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Hey Ocean! – “Bicycle”: 2011 Pierre Sparr “Charisma” Pinot Gris

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale gold, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, mineral, stone fruit, peach, apricot, creaminess, red apple, flint, mango, musky/smoky, (malolactic?)
Mouth: dry (to off-dry), med+ body, med acid, med finish, med+ flavour intensity, med+ alcohol, stone fruit, smoke, oiliness, peach, apricot, creamy, ripe apple, flint, peach pith
All in all: Good quality: the wine has decent balance with the typical slight oiliness of Alsatian Pinot Gris and the whisper of residual sugar – but the wine lacks a bit of complexity. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

2011 Pierre Sparr "Charisma" Pinot GrisSo much for cutting down on alcohol for the new year. I’ve allocated a sort of strict alcohol budget for myself, but I’m already trying to find loopholes. I spent more than I should have on spirits last fall because of the diploma exam in November, and I still have so many leftovers.… read more

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The Two-Day Crush: 2012 Sacchetto Pinot Nero

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- ruby, legs, (med viscosity)
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, red fruit, fruity, strawberries, raspberries, earth, mineral, spice, hint cola, jam, floral
Mouth: dry (almost off-dry), med- body, low acidity, med- coarse tannin, med+ flavour intensity, med alcohol, med- length, red fruit, strawberries, hint cherry, mineral, cola, brush of dark fruit, hint herbal, velvety
All in all: (Acceptable to) Good quality: the wine’s strength lies in its hedonistic and varietally correct intensity, though there is a lack in length, complexity, and structure. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.

2012 Sacchetto Pinot NeroFor a bottle surrounded by mostly rustic Italian wines of sour cherry earthiness – here, we have a wine that maybe seems more than a little out of place. … read more