WSET3 Course Notes
WineHouse, Los Angeles
Tasted Sunday, April 28, 2024 - Sunday, June 9, 2024 by AD_jutant with 28 views
Introduction
I apologise right away to everyone who finds these notes boring or dull or just too academic. I am very excited to be going through the WSET3 programme after having received Level2 Award with distinction and I cherish the opportunity to taste this many wonderful wines. Thus, I want to have quick access to my notes in the future and so they are going on CellarTracker. I try to still make the notes my own and not simply follow the instructor, I check off the WSET tasting checklist but also put in my personal opinions. I hope, therefore, that the notes hold some value for some of you.
Following the strict tasting approach of the program, I noted appearance (A), nose (N), palate (P), and Assessment of Quality (AQ) for each of the wines. the quality assessment also includes my personal judgement on the 18 point scale that you can find in my bio.
My ratings might also be conservative as in the class setting, I do not get enough time to truly get to know each wine.
Flight 1 - Tasting Technique (4 Notes)
Flight 2 - Viticulture & Winemaking - pair 1 (2 Notes)
The broad category of "Viticulture & Winemaking" included pairs of wines that are meant to represent different factors that affect the wine. In this case, two Syrahs were grown in different climates.
Flight 3 - Viticulture & Winemaking - pair 2 (2 Notes)
This was meant to contrast wines produced with lower yields and vineyard selection against high volume production.
Flight 4 - Viticulture & Winemaking - pair 3 (2 Notes)
These demonstrated the effect of oak on Chardonnay, but I think climate also played too big of a role to make the comparison fair.
Flight 5 - White Wines from Cool European Climates - flight 1 (4 Notes)
The category of "White Wines from Cool European Climates" included quite a few different wines from different regions. They were not necessarily arranged in pairs, put there was certainly logic to the mini-flights we got. This one was wines of Alsace and Germany, though it was also mostly Riesling.
Flight 7 - White Wines from Cool European Climates - flight 3 (2 Notes)
I really was not impressed with the way the Loire pair showed, which is both surprising and unfortunate. I did not find either of the wines to be very expressive or representative.
Flight 8 - Burgundy - whites (2 Notes)
Flight 9 - Burgundy - reds (+ Beaujolais) (3 Notes)
What was really surprising about this flight is that all 3 wines were from 2021, yet showed completely different stages of development. I thought, for example, that the Faiveley had at least a couple years more of bottle age than the others. This actually made it more approachable than the "Goliath" of the flight - Tardy's "Vigneux". I think, today I would even prefer to drink the Faiveley.
Flight 10 - Bordeaux (4 Notes)
There was no point in guessing these blind, it was obvious from the context. I definitely preferred the whites in this flight, they were both delightful.
Flight 11 - Southern France (3 Notes)
Really surprising results on this one in terms of my personal preference. I thought "Le Mas Au Schiste" was the best and CdP just wasn't exciting.
Closing
The programme is still in progress and I will be adding the notes as I go :)
2019 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Monnières-Saint-Fiacre 87 Points
France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine
(4/28/2024)
A: Pale lemon, clear.
N: Medium intensity. Pear, lemon, chamomile with fresh grass, wet stones. I also got some cottage cheese which to me is a sign of bâtonnage. The wine is youthful and is mostly with primary aromas.
P: High acidity, medium alcohol, dry, medium- body, and with medium flavour intensity. Lemon and wet stones are coming back. Lime, grassiness. I enjoy the medium- finish quite a bit.
AQ: Good. Guessed Muscadet correctly blind.
8/18
Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2017 Bodegas Zugober (Belezos) Rioja Blanco 88 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
(4/28/2024)
A: Medium gold, clear.
N: Medium intensity. Apricot, peach, banana. Vanilla and coconut. Marzipan, honey or caramel. Developed, interesting nose.
P: Dry, medium acidity and alcohol. Medium+ body and flavour intensity. Some lemon now, peach, coconut, and almonds. Medium finish.
AQ: Good. I did not dare to guess anything blind.
8+/18 because it is in a really good place right now for drinking.
So yeah, drink now, unlikely to improve further.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2021 Domaine des Chers Saint-Amour Vieilles Vignes 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Saint-Amour
(4/28/2024)
A: Pale or medium ruby.
N: Medium+ intensity. Crazy notes in my humble opinion: green bell pepper, violets, tomato leaf, basil, raspberry, bubblegum and banana (must be carbonic).
P: Dry, medium+ acidity, low tannin, medium alcohol, medium- body. Raspberry, violets, and bubblegum. Medium finish.
AQ: Good, guessed Beaujolais blind.
8+/18, I personally found it super cool. At $20 it's also a great value cru Beaujolais.
Drink now, not really suitable for ageing.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2020 La Ca' Növa Barbaresco 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
(4/28/2024)
A: Pale garnet.
N: Medium intensity. Potpourri, red currant, mulberry, slight raspberry, volcanised rubber, and cooked plum. Some cedar and a touch of dried meat.
P: Dry, high acidity and tannin, high alcohol. Medium body and pronounced flavour intensity. Red and dark berries, red cherry, maybe even red apple peel, clove. Medium finish.
AQ: Very good. I guessed Barbaresco 2017 blind as I picked up that it was a warm vintage. In my defense, I had never had any 2020 Piedmont Nebbiolo before and it was, apparently, indeed a warm vintage.
8+/18 in my personal book but I am very picky about Nebbiolo.
Can drink now, but the wine certainly has potential for ageing.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue