Tag: Red

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

“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

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

Quaffing

Katniss Everdeen, the Girl On Fire: 2009 Scali Pinotage

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clean, med+ ruby, legs, (high viscosity)
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, developing, candied red raspberry and strawberry, plum, cedar, smoke, vanilla, hint VA, blackberry, hint herbal, medicinal, mocha, ash, earth, white pepper, vegetal, dill, leather
Mouth: dry, med+ bodied, high acidity, high ripe tannins with a hint of coarseness, high alcohol, med flavour intensity, med+ length, red fruit + black fruit, ripe red cherry, raspberry, blackberry, hint VA, mineral, wood, ash
All in all: Very good quality: the wine is structurally intense and concentrated. While the balance is slightly off with a slightly tight tannin structure, the flavours are complex. Relatively long length. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.

2009 Scali PinotagePinotage is a grape that I’ve always been fascinated by.… read more

Quaffing

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

Posted on by Josh

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

WSET Diploma

2010 Redtree Petite Sirah

Posted on by Josh

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

WSET Diploma

2007 Vietti “Masseria” Barbaresco

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- tawny, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, developing, floral, tar, cherry, wood, hay, spice, dried herbs, dried red fruit, earth, mineral, wood, hay
Mouth: dry, full body, high coarse tannin, high acid, med+ alcohol, long length, med flavour intensity, sour cherry, strawberry, earth, tar, mineral, olive, oak, savoury
All in all: Very good quality: A high acid and amazingly mouth-drying tannins are woven well if not slightly aggressive – but give impressive balanced structure. The levels of complexity are high, and the wine is persistent. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.
Identity Guess: Premium (Barbera/Sangiovese/Nebbiolo) from Piedmont, Italy; 6 years old.
Is really: Super-Premium Barbaresco from Piedmont, Italy; 6 years old.

2007 Vietti "Masseria" Barbaresco[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 1 – Week 11]

Though I’m not the biggest Nebbiolo evangelist (yet), the idea of the grape fascinates me.… read more

WSET Diploma

2008 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med- garnet, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, developing, red fruit, earthy, sour cherry, floral, pine, dried herbs, mineral, strawberry, savoury, meaty
Mouth: dry, med body, high coarse tannin, med+ acid, med alcohol, med+ flavour intensity, med+ length, sour cherry, earth, red fruit, herbal, strawberry, spice, savoury, leather, dried fruit, orange peel, baking spice
All in all: Very good quality: the acid is high and the generous tannins are rough but are well woven into the wine, giving good structure for more ageing and further complexity. Persistent. Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.
Identity Guess: High-priced (Barbera/Sangiovese/Nebbiolo) from Tuscany, Italy; 3 years old.
Is really: High-priced Sangiovese from Tuscany, Italy; 5 years old.

2008 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 1 – Week 11]

Had to read out my nose notes for this one.… read more

WSET Diploma

2010 Batasiolo Barbera d’Alba

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale ruby, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, youthful, earth, cherry, black cherry, spice, red fruit, green or herbal component, raspberry, simple
Mouth: dry, med body, med+ acid, med flavour intensity, med- coarse tannin, med alcohol, med length, sour cherry, raspberry, earth, spice
All in all: Good quality: the wine is balanced especially with relatively higher amounts of acidity and rough tannin, but it remains a bit simple and could have a longer persistence. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced (Barbera [d’Alba]/Sangiovese/Nebbiolo) from Piedmont, Italy; 3 years old.
Is really: Mid-priced Barbera d’Alba from Piedmont, Italy; 3 years old.

2010 Batasiolo Barbera d'Alba[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 1 – Week 11]

I have a soft spot for Barbera – I really do.… read more