@sommeligay

Wine Bloggers Conference 2014 (in Santa Barbara!) – Scholarship Recipient

July 12, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

My knowledge of any sort of Wine Bloggers Conference begun in 2013. It took place in Penticton (so close to home!) and so it was a bit of a bummer that I couldn’t make it. The knowledge of the next one rolled around and a friend stirred up my excitement – I was eventually convinced to go, leading to eager registration during a tight schedule, i.e. attempting to apply for the WBC scholarship on an iPad during a movie night with friends. (For the record, we watched “The Purge”, which would have paired nicely with a smoky and gamey Pinotage reminiscent of gunpowder and revenge.)

Obviously I was thrilled when I found out that I had earned the scholarship, and thusly I immediately had a 5-minute Madonna dance party where I replaced all instances of “Holiday” with “Chardonnay”.… read more

Quaffing

Catelyn Stark: 2011 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas

July 2, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep ruby, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, youthful, earth, spice, black pepper, hint dried herbs, black fruit, blackberry, mineral, hint menthol, hint cooked raspberry, hint cassis
Mouth:dry, med+ body, med acid, med+ fine tannin, high alcohol, med+ length, pronounced flavour intensity, spice, earth, black pepper, stemmy, black fruit, blackberry, mineral, ash
All in all: Very good quality: the balance is fantastic despite the high alcohol, and there is some structure that captures the warm-climate wine; the length is relatively long and the intensities pronounced. But the slight bit of shadowing tannins mean there are complexities to reveal with time, and the finish draws out a slightly stemmy character. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.… read more

Quaffing

If Bruce Banner were into leather: 2012 Juan Gil “4 Meses” Jumilla

June 26, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep ruby, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, black fruit, blackberry, cassis, cola, cooked black fruit, spice, earth, brown sugar, soy, vanilla, white pepper, hints of leather, jam, raisin, cinnamon, dark chocolate, black cherries, hint gamey
Mouth: dry, med+ body, med acid, med+ fine tannin, med+ length, high alcohol, med intensity, raisin, black fruit, jam, spice, pepper, hints of earth
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine excels when it comes to concentration – and to a slightly lesser extent, its length and intensity. The balance falls slightly with the fine yet blanketing tannins, and the alcohol balance reveals the slight clunkiness of the wine. Drink now, but has potential for short-term ageing.

What I surely did was make a mistake in opening a huge red on a muggy night.… read more

Quaffing

Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers: 2010 Kettle Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

June 22, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med lemon, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, herbal, grassy, floral, ripe grapefruit, citrus rind, hint honey, hint butterscotch, nectarine, lemon
Mouth: dry, full body, med+ acid, med+ alcohol, long length, med+ to pronounced intensity, ripe grapefruit, nectarine, mineral, citrus, lemon, citrus rind, honey, savoury
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine gains points for intensity in flavour and texture, while length is also a plus. The wine lacks a bit of alcoholic balance. Drink now, but has potential for short-term ageing.

An interesting day deserves interesting wine. Or does it, because it’s 10PM on a Saturday and all I want to do is be boring and sleep. I’m an exciting 22-year-old.

I had tried this exact wine for the first time just two days beforehand, and I remember it being fantastic.… read more

Quaffing

“Cherry on Top” – Oh Land: 2012 Lavau Tavel Rosé

June 17, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ pink, legs evident
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, red fruit, cherry, raspberry, mineral, rhubarb, floral, rose petal
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med- ripe tannin, med alcohol, med flavour intensity, med+ length, earth, mineral, floral, rose petal, red fruit, cherry, raspberry, savoury
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: this dry style of rosé from Tavel maintains balance and structure with its round acidity and subtle tannin. There is relatively long length and great intensity, but there could be slightly more complexity. Drink now, but has potential for short-term ageing.

Post WSET Diploma Unit 5 + 6 exam wine! I decided against buying anything sparkling just because symbolism. Bye. I can never outright deny a glass of bubbly if ever offered, but now I can get back to drinking still wines and not feel weirdly guilty about it.… read more

Quaffing

Princess Peach: NV Domaine Zinck Crémant d’Alsace Brut

June 7, 2014November 16, 2015 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.

Well, 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

June 7, 2014November 17, 2015 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.

Holy 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

May 31, 2014November 16, 2015 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.

Let’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

May 13, 2014November 16, 2015 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.

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

May 3, 2014November 16, 2015 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.

It’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