Category: Quaffing

Quaffing

2010 Marcel Deiss Riesling

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, honey, mineral, lemon, lime, floral, “butter”/musk/rubber, green apple
Mouth: dry, med bodied, high acid, med alcohol, med+ flavour intensity, long finish, mineral, green apple, hint of honey, lemon, lime, zest
All in all: Very good quality: along with a lengthy finish, an intense and concentrated nose and palate are further strengthened by a balanced and bright acidic structure, allowing this wine to age. As a result, though, this wine isn’t as complex as it can be in its years to come. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.

2011 Marcel Deiss RieslingI’ve officially worked at this wine job for a year! This wine was one for celebrating, plus served as a lifting brightness for one of those weeks that wasn’t so bad in theory but was shitty anyways.… read more

Quaffing

2011 Hartenberger Gewurztraminer

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- lemon
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, youthful, ginger, ripe apricot, mineral, tropical fruit, lychee, floral, ripe banana
Mouth: dry to off-dry, full-bodied, med acid, high alcohol, med+ length, pronounced intensity, floral, mineral, ripe stone fruit
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

2011 Hartenberg GewurztraminerRarely do I ever try single varietal Gewürztraminers. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because they sort of seem just a tad been-there-done-that. With a nose so distinctive and unforgettable despite the region, it almost seems as if you won’t get much variation out of them, which is of course, completely untrue. I think I like to explore rather than cover my basics, which probably hurts rather than helps me.

All get drunk in the end, though.… read more

Quaffing

2009 Castillo de Molina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med ruby, med- ruby rim
Nose: med intensity, developing, green pepper, spice, black fruit, cola
Mouth: dry, med bodied, med acid, med tannin, med+ length, med+ alcohol, med+ intensity, savoury dark fruit, vegetal
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

2009 Castillo de Molina Cabernet SauvignonMy favourite thing about the wine is the nose. Classic Chilean dark fruit with green pepper characteristics always please me, but my one pet peeve with heavy grape varieties is an atypical, lighter body. That’s just me. There are people out there who want the nose of a Cab with a lighter body. You’re allowed to want these things – hell, I ordered a special hot dog a couple weeks ago and ordered two different sides with a half portion of each.… read more

Quaffing

NV Maison L. Tramier & Fils Roncier Rouge

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- to med ruby, watery rim
Nose: pronounced intensity, developing, earth, dried red cherries, mushroom, spice, black olives
Mouth: light bodied, med acid, low tannin, med+ alcohol, med intensity, med- length, earth, stewed red fruit
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

NV Roncier RougeThe nose is quite rustic: almost in an oxidative Spanish kind of way. I also get some vegetal mushroom or black olive character going on, which is reminiscent of some Negroamaro or even some French Syrah that I’ve had. So far, very atypical. A dominant dried cherry note even reminds me of Sangiovese, and I can’t decide whether or not this wine would be best marketed towards wine-savvy customers who are used to a rustic style despite lack of a vintage or Protected Geographical Indication, or towards those who want a fruity-earthy bridge wine, for the same problem.… read more

Quaffing

1991 Chateau Musar Blanc

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med gold
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developed, honey, beeswax, butterscotch, cabbage, garbage water, wet asphalt, mushroom, citrus
Mouth: dry, med- body, med+ acid, long length, med- alcohol, honey, citrus, savoury, beeswax, nutty, slight salty
All in all: Very good quality; drink now, but can age.

I’m officially the president for the UBC Wine Tasting Club! Hurrah! I wanted to open something nice for my co-workers and I as an excuse. I bounced around between several bottles before settling on this dude. And then I realized how poor I am. Yay!

1991 Chateau Musar BlancThe cork was horrifying. Upon lifting the foil at the top, we discovered that the cork almost had something like a mini-pool of wine at the top and was damp all throughout.… read more

Quaffing

2009 Joachim Ress Riesling

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon
Nose: clean, med- intensity, developing, stone fruit, hint petrol, juicy, hint tropical, vanilla
Mouth: off-dry, med- body, med acid, med- length, med intensity, med- alcohol, stone fruit
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

Edit (July 7th, 2013) – either some bottle variation, or a colder wine temperature, but this was a solid med+ acidity right out of the fridge.

First and foremost, I was happy to see – or smell, rather – some level of petrol in this wine. Disappointing was the lack of intensity and complexity.

The touch of sweetness was nice, and was balanced with a decent amount of acid. I would have loved to see more acid and complexity, but this is a solid wine that was rooted to the Old World elegance while appealing to a broad audience.… read more

Quaffing

2011 Yali Sauvignon Blanc

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful to developing, green pepper, green bean, savoury spice, citrus
Mouth: dry, med- bodied, med acid, med length, med- alcohol, med intensity, mineral, spice, green pepper
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

2011 Yali Sauvignon BlancThere’s something about Chilean Sauvignon Blancs that I’m quite partial to. Rarely really appreciated, they’re pretty much in the camp of hipster wines, like Cab Franc or Chenin Blanc. Unlike those varietals, though, it’s not that this particular style isn’t very known – it’s just the fact that these flavours can be off-putting despite the unmistakable or familiar aroma and character.

Typical nose. Compared to other Sauv Blancs from other regions, we get a nose dominated with methoxypyrazines, which I love.… read more

Quaffing

2010 OKV Vineyard Select White

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon
Nose: clean, med- intensity, youthful, ripe pear, sweaty
Mouth: dry, med bodied, med- acid, short length, med+ alcohol, med- intensity, green apple
All in all: Good quality, drink now.

2010 OKV WhiteA popular 10 dollar blend. Why not give it a go?

I’m not entirely sure of the details, but apparently this wine is owned by Vincor (now apparently known as “Constellation Brands”). Being VQA, I wouldn’t be surprised if this wine is made from leftover grapes or sloppy seconds from the various BC wineries part of their portfolio.

The nose is as expected, but vaguely interesting. A light wave of ripe pears is what I mainly get, but there is a layer of interesting yeasty sweatiness that I recognize from none other than beer.… read more

Quaffing

2011 Chateau de Pennautier Viognier

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Notes:

Eyes: clear, med- lemon, pale rim
Nose: med- intensity, youthful, apricot, mineral, citrus, floral
Mouth: dry, light to med- body, med acid, med length, med+ alcohol, med- intensity, mineral, savoury, bitter citrus rind
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

After having been curious about this bottle of wine for a while, plus a lack of knowledge on the Viognier of the Old World, I decided to give this one a go. There’s something about a classic-looking label with a pretty shade of orange. I’m so easy, hey?

Plus, I bought a bunch of beer for cellaring and decided to go for the sub-20.

The nose seemed very restrained to me. Old World coming through, perhaps, and any stone fruit character was restrained with an equal or greater amount of mineral character.… read more

Quaffing

2011 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Estate Riesling

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Notes:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, pale rim
Nose: med intensity, youthful, mineral, red apple, notes of stone fruit, floral, honey
Mouth: medium sweetness, light bodied, med acidity, med length, med intensity, low alcohol, a little spritzy
All in all: Good quality; drink now, but can age.

What’s up with the 2011 vintage? I sheepishly display my confusion and partial sophomoric knowledge on German wines here, in part because a lot of the German wines I come across are too expensive for me. I’ve also noticed that Riesling has been in a bit of a negative light to the regular consumer, and it’s all about the dry. Riesling is as out as much as Coco Rocha is in, and despite its food pairing versatility, people avoid it like the plague because they think it’ll be like juice.… read more