Tag: France

Quaffing

Catelyn Stark: 2011 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas

Posted on 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

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

Posted on 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.

2012 Lavau Tavel RoséPost 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

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

WSET Diploma

Dita Von Teese: 2011 Jean-Marc Lafage Maury Vin Doux Naturel

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, deep ruby, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, youthful, chocolate, chocolate-covered cherries, black cherry, red fruit, dried fruit, black fruit, earth, mineral, blackberry, RASPBERRY
Mouth: sweet, med body, low fortification, med acid, cherry, raspberry, black cherry, cherry cola, black forest cake, chocolate, pronounced flavour intensity, med+ length
All in all: Very good quality: this fortified wine has an intense and almost archetypal flavour profile. Balanced and concentrated, but could have more complexity. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

2011 Jean-Marc Lafage Maury Vin Doux NaturelI honestly don’t know much about Dita Von Teese. But she was one of the first things that came to mind when I was trying to come up with something or someone that resembled the fluid and seamless character of this sweet and heady wine, while also having some form of direct intensity.… read more

WSET Diploma

Overly Attached Girlfriend: 2012 Arnoux Trésor du Clocher Muscat de Beaumes de Venise

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, youthful, mineral, grapey, floral, orange blossom, stone fruit, peach, ripe apple, pear
Mouth: sweet, med body, low acid, low fortification, med+ flavour intensity, gummy bears, floral, hint bitterness of finish, stone fruit, med length
All in all: Good quality: the wine is a bit cloying, though this is expected. It’s concentrated and intense, though also almost too direct an one-note as a result. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.

2012 Arnoux Trésor du Clocher Muscat de Beaumes de VeniseMuscat is almost so unmistakable that some wines that it makes are sort of like archetypal stock characters. Meme-like, in a sense, hence the whole Overly Attached Girlfriend sort of thing, where this wine literally smells like a bouquet of orange blossoms, fruity perfume, candy, and it also seems to not want to completely release from the back of your palate in a bit of a partially cloying frenzy.… read more

Life · Tasting

2014 Vancouver International Wine Festival – Wine Tour de France Seminar

Posted on by Josh

This year’s wine fest kicked off with me doing the blind tasting challenge on the Wednesday – the rest of my day consisted of lunch with colleagues, errands involving heavy lifting, and then seeing the new Lego movie. I didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted, which is an obvious call for trouble: the next day started off with a France-themed tasting at 9:30AM; the big, busy, and irritating trade tasting at 2:30PM; and an exciting Bourgogne-themed tasting at 5PM. A day full of constant mouth stimuli.

Since this was one of the trade tastings (opposed to a consumer one), there were lots of familiar faces. But I shamelessly admit that any human interaction is personally difficult and gruelling before 11AM (or maybe I’m just a naturally horrible human being), and so I sat down on one of the seats, smiled at the 12 glasses in front of me, got my notebook ready, and did my best not to spill anything.… read more

Life · Tasting

I suck at wine: 2014 VIWF Blind Tasting Challenge

Posted on by Josh

My 2014 Vancouver International Wine Festival activities begun on Wednesday! Insert majestic trumpet sounds here.

I was really scared for the Blind Tasting Challenge (at the Pacific Culinary Institute of Arts) on said morning . This mostly meant barely being able to keep my breakfast in my stomach, listening to Glee’s rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” on repeat for high energy (do you hate me yet?), and then thinking that coffee was a bad idea. A classmate saw me looking at the water as I was listening to music and taking refreshing winter breaths of Granville Island air – she was just as nervous as I, but another classmate told us we were more jittery and nervous than we needed to be.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Flaws (Live Acoustic Version)” – Bastille: NV Domaine Breton “La Dilettante” Vouvray Brut

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- lemon, bubbles
Nose: clean, med intensity, developing, mineral, citrus, hint herbaceous, lemon, lime, citrus zest, white bread, slight toast, mushroom, wet wool
Mouth: dry, creamy mousse, med+ acid, med- body, med- alcohol, med+ flavour intensity, mineral, lemon, lime, citrus zest, lees, savoury, mushroom, wet wool
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: the wine is well-balanced and has a relatively long length. Though not being very intense in its fruit, the Chenin Blanc character comes through with lovely earthy mushroom and wet wool aromas and flavours. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: High-priced Vouvray Brut from Loire, France.
Is really: High-priced Vouvray Brut from Loire, France.

NV Domaine Breton "La Dilettante" Vouvray Brut[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 5]

Last week’s version of this wine was corked so this was secretly slipped into today’s set of wines.… read more

WSET Diploma

A pink Rubik’s Cube: NV Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne “Perle d’Aurore” Rosé

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale salmon, bubbles
Nose: clean, med- intensity, youthful, mineral, dried red fruit, hint strawberry, hint raspberry, hint of yeast, hint herbaceous
Mouth: dry, creamy mousse, med+ acid, med- body, med- alcohol, med flavour intensity, mineral, dried red fruit, strawberry, cherry, med length, mineral finish
All in all: Good quality: though the sparkling rosé has elegant balance and finesse, the flavours lack a bit of focus and intensity. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced Non-Vintage Crémant Rosé from Bourgogne, France.
Is really: Mid-priced Non-Vintage Crémant Rosé from Bourgogne, France.

NV Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne "Perle d'Aurore" Rosé[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 5]

I am way too harsh with traditional method sparkling rosés. My eyebrows were raised and my lips were pursed as soon as I saw the pale salmon poured from the bottle, and I gave it a sniff with a confirmed nod.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Starlight” – Muse (Vitamin String Quartet Cover): NV Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Champagne Grand Cru

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med gold, bubbles
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, mineral, citrus, lemon, ripe apple, yeast, autolysis, biscuit, brioche
Mouth: dry, creamy mousse, med body, med+ acid, med+ length, med alcohol, med+ flavour intensity, nuts, apple, citrus, lemon, mineral, bread, nuts, autolysis, bread, brioche, not super toasty
All in all: Very good quality: the sparkling wine isn’t super autolytic though the traditional method complexity is there. There is a fair amount of intensity along with a long length. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: High-priced Non-Vintage New World Traditional Method Sparkling.
Is really: Premium Non-Vintage Champagne.

NV Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Champagne Grand Cru[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 5]

Not fair. If you put this wine right after a toastnutbomb-y vintage Champagne, of course I’d get it wrong. … read more