Syrah – Page 3 – @sommeligay

Vancouver International Wine Festival 2015: “Decades Apart”

February 26, 2015December 15, 2015 by Josh

I’m feeling inconveniently gross because I was supposed to study the rest of Australia last night, so it seemed like a good idea when my best friend posed the idea of doing some late night work together at a café. We drove around, and the few places we could think of were all full at 9PM on a Tuesday, so we thought we could grab a small bite at the Union before heading back out to scout a place to get some shit done.

It was not a small bite. We did not do work afterwards.

Long story short: it’s the day after. I’m tired and gross and for some reason I decided to wear this really thick button-up because I’ve been saving it for semi-relevant moments like these, and I’m thanking God that there isn’t a saccharine Chardonnay in the flight that raises my body temperature by a few degrees.… read more

Pre-Vancouver International Wine Fest 2015

February 25, 2015November 16, 2015 by Josh

Days are leading up to the wine fest. Not that it’s daunting or anything – if that’s how I’m making it seem – but I’m purposefully not training my palate for the Shiraz-fest to come in favour of gracing my mouth with more refreshing whites. I’m sort of mirroring the sunny weather we’ve been having in the form of alcohol, and I find that it also helps to have some inspiring wine when you feel anything but. Yesterday’s Martin Códax “Burgáns” 2010 Rías Baixas ($25) was just that – perhaps not as fresh as it should be at that age, but bringing an unintentional spotlight to its funky hint of brine, along with something that seemed a bit nutty and yeasty amongst its peachy fruit.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Summer Girl” – White Wires: Peter Lehmann 2009 “8 Songs” Shiraz

December 8, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 7: Australia]

When a lot of people think of Australia they think of Barossa Shiraz, sort of like when heavy drinking and ridiculous dancing comes to mind when people hear my name. Hey, don’t deny it.

The hot region produces big and mouth-filling examples, but I’ve come across some Barossa examples that don’t seem as full-bodied as they should be, and I wonder if there’s a trend to break away from the typecast mould of bloated Australian reds. I’m staying right here.

This was more on the typical side, with youthful black fruit, blackberry compote, cola, and spice flavours showing on both the nose and palate, along with cleansing acidity.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Soldier’s Poem” – Muse: Lucien Barrot 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

December 3, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 6: Rhône]

Just from the looking at our flight of five, it was obvious that this was the most aged from the orange-tinged garnet hue, but I’m pretty sure everyone pegged it as Châteauneuf-du-Pape because it was the last wine (including myself, perhaps). The most kingly appellation in the southern Rhône can offer some level of variety like other southern Rhône blends, allowing something like 13 different grapes (18 including mutations) into its wines, with top producers varying their recipes dramatically. Château de Beaucastel, for example, is known for making a Châteauneuf-du-Pape with all of the allowed varieties, while Chateau Rayas makes one that’s virtually a Grenache clubhouse.

The most evolved wine of the bunch of course had more leather, nuts, spice, and earth to match the stewed and dried fruit.… read more

WSET Diploma

Cancelled plans: Brunel 2012 “La Gardine” Côtes du Rhône

December 3, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 6: Rhône]

In our flight of a rosé (obviously Tavel, being in a Rhône-themed class) and four reds, this was the penultimate wine of our tasting. Everyone in the room had the middle three muddled up because they were the most similar. Perhaps three levels of Côtes du Rhone blends, we all thought.

I surmised that this was the lowest quality out of the three middle wines we tasted. In the wine’s defence, it probably tasted washed out because of the two bulkier blends before it. I thought it was less than ordinary at only the acceptable level: though it had peppery fruit on the nose, the palate just seemed less vibrant and rather light despite the high alcohol, like someone decided to go to a party and then cancel right when it started.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple: Domaine Maby 2012 “La Fermade” Lirac

December 3, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 6: Rhône]

The middle three wines in this flight were notably similar: so we were given three choices. One was a simple Côtes du Rhone, one was a step high in quality as a Côtes du Rhône Villages, and one was a step higher in quality than that, as another appellation in the Southern Rhone, or an appellation that used to be at the Villages level but was drawn into its own appellation. I thought that the third in the flight was the obvious simple CdR level, because it didn’t have the same concentration, intensity, or length. That left us with the first two, which were actually rather similar.

I found this one slightly less exuberant compared to the first, and perhaps less friendly in its aromas.… read more

WSET Diploma

God’s plan: Château La Courançonne 2012 Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu

December 3, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 6: Rhône]

“Plan de Dieu” is one of the named villages of the “Côtes du Rhone Villages” appellation, much like Rasteau and Gigondas and Vacqueyras once were before graduating to their own AOPs. I also think it’s the creepiest sounding one, and I’d love to both know the story behind it and also keep a bottle on hand every time someone tells me something is part of “God’s plan”. Then I can, in just an ominous whisper, say “no, this is part of God’s plan”, and then subsequently uncork the bottle without breaking eye contact. And then get really drunk. It’s foolproof – to what, I don’t even remember or care.… read more

WSET Diploma

“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” – The Beatles: Alain Graillot 2011 Crozes-Hermitage

December 2, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 6: Rhône]

We had just three wines in our first flight (this was the third), and all were from the northern Rhône, we were told. The first was obviously a Viognier, but the second and the third were clearly born of the same idea, if not grape. Though the wine was clearly more youthful from just the looks of it, it also smelled more playful than its previous, with more intense aromas of flowers and riper fruit to replace the smoked meat.

Hermitage is the rare and more famous appellation and hill, of course, and even by looking at a map and seeing how Crozes-Hermitage surrounds Hermitage like a donut, we can predict off the bat that slopes here aren’t as dramatic.… read more

WSET Diploma

Breakfast in a glass, pt. 2: Delas 2009 “Seigneur de Maugiron” Côte-Rôtie

December 2, 2014November 16, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 6: Rhône]

This wine was basically breakfast in a glass part 1 with its toast, coffee, and marmalade sort of deal. If you were wondering. Enter part 2! We still have toast on the breakfast menu for this wine, but toss in some smoky peppered bacon and toast with blackberry jam. And then replace the citrus marmalade with something leathery. (Or something.)

The appellation from which this wine comes is the northernmost tip of the Rhône, where gravelly soils extend from Beaujolais. Viticulture is almost as expensive as it gets, with low yields and sloped vineyards, leading to necessary terraces and obligatory manual harvesting.

Like Condrieu to the south, plantings were relatively low as recent as the 60s and 70s but boomed in the 90s, in this case, due to Guigal and Robert Parker.… read more

WSET Diploma

I don’t even know why I guessed Hermitage: 2011 Emiliana “Coyam”

October 8, 2014November 17, 2015 by Josh

[Tasted during WSET Diploma Unit 3 – Week 1]

I don’t even know why I guessed Hermitage, because I’ve never had one, and there’s no way they’re going to display something that rare (in this market) and expensive on the first day. But sometimes it’s almost like designing (or maybe I’m just watching too much Project Runway in between my tasks which results in garbage fashion analogies), because given the circumstances, it’s important to make it look (or taste) expensive. Or something like that. Maybe ignore this paragraph.

The reveal of Chile seemed so obvious, afterwards, though before landing in the northern Rhône I did venture a Touriga Nacional-based blend from Portugal, if that gives you any more idea about how punchy yet spicy and earthy this was.… read more