WSET Level 3, Session 8: Red, white, and rosé wines of the Southern Rhône valley & Southern France; Red wines of Spain part 1 and white wines of Spain and Portugal
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Tasted Monday, February 22, 2021 by penguinoid with 50 views
Introduction
This session covered quite a lot of ground in only five wines, so naturally we didn't get to taste an example of every wine style discussed. White and rosé wines from southern France and Portugal were notable in their absence, unfortunately. Nonetheless, given the time constraints, this was a good look at these regions!
Flight 1 - Red, white, and rosé wines of the Southern Rhône valley & Southern France (3 Notes)
No white or rosé wines, but a good lineup nonetheless. I normally really love Gigonas wines, but was initially a bit underwhelmed with this example: I think it was simply still rather closed. I guess it will shine with a few years' more ageing.
Flight 2 - Red wines of Spain part 1 (1 Note)
This was mainly focussed on the red wines of the Mediterranean part of Spain. This includeds Priorat, one of my favourite Grenache wines. The example we got to try was very good!
Flight 3 - White wines of Spain and Portugal (1 Note)
An excellent Verdejo, that was quite a bit more complex than might be expected. No Portuguese wines, unfortunately, but hopefully we'll get to try a few later in the course.
Flight 4 - Dinner(!!!) (1 Note)
Not part of the course at all, but by coincidence I ended up opening a bottle of Côtes du Rhône with dinner. I'm including it, given how relevant it was to the tasting!
Closing
The wines were all enjoyable, even if the Gigondas was a bit closed at first. The Priorat was my favourite, and it was interesting to try a 'new' (lighter bodied) style Priorat.
2018 Pierre Amadieu Côtes du Rhône Roulepierre
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Appearance: clear medium ruby
Nose: clean, medium intensity, secondary, youthful. Strawberry jam, rosehip? Raspberry, cranberry sauce. Stewed plum and blackberry. Nutmeg. Chocolate, coffee. White and black pepper. Cough syrup.
Palate: dry, medium acidity, secondary, youthful. Strawberry jam, rosehip? Raspberry, cranberry sauce. Stewed plum and blackberry. Nutmeg. Chocolate, coffee. White and black pepper. Cough syrup.
Assessment of quality: good
Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, not suited for ageing
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2017 Pierre Amadieu Gigondas
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
Appearance: clear medium ruby
Nose: clean, medium(-) intensity, youthful, secondary. Plum jam and baked plum. Fig, prunes, bramble. Kirsch. Charred wood, resinous. Spirit/brandy. Still a bit closed?
Palate: dry, medium tannins, medium(+) acidiity, medium alcohol, medium bodied, secondary, medium length finish, medium intensity. Plum jam and baked plum. Cooked raspberry. Chocolate, liquorice, charred wood, resinous. Fig, prunes, bramble. Kirsch. Charred wood, resinous. Spirit/brandy. Still a bit closed?
Assessment of quality: good
Level of readiness for drinking: Drink now, but suitable for ageing
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2018 Guillaume Armand Languedoc Le Petit Clos
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc
Appearance: clear deep purple
Nose: clean, medium(-) intensity, secondary, youthful. Plum, plum jam, strawberry, rosehip. Cedar, resinous. Spirits. Raspberry. Black and red cherry. Blueberry. Kirsch.
Palate:dry, medium(+) tannins, medium acidity, medium bodied, medium alcohol. Medium intensity, long finish. Secondary. Plum, plum jam, strawberry, rosehip. Cedar, resinous. Spirits. Raspberry. Black and red cherry. Blueberry. Kirsch.
Assessment of quality: very good
Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, not suitable for ageing
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