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Wine Dojo - Teaching an Old Grape New Tricks
Tasted December 10, 2018 by Heynetty with 116 views
Introduction
As the European diaspora set sail for the New World and new opportunities, there were one or two things that they brought with them. Typical packing list might have looked something like:
Slippers, pyjamas, grape vines?!?
So this week, as per group request, we are looking at New World reds. Can you tell one grape from another? Can you taste the similarities between the Bordeaux grapes and still differentiate them from one another? How about the non-Bordeaux staples like Zinfandel or Shiraz? Can you tell them from a ripe Cab? We have a preference for European wines but how different are these old favorites when grown and vinified in the New World. Indeed, can you teach an old grape new tricks?
Flight 1 (7 notes)
Red
2012 Two Hands Shiraz Bella's Garden
Tasted Blind
A: Deep purple. Medium (+) viscosity
N: Pronounced nose. Eucalyptus, black cherry jam, eucalyptus.
P: Dry, medium acid, high alcohol, medium tannin, full body, medium +) intensity and finish.
C: Drink noe. Ticks for length and intensity. Good Quality wine but this isnt built to age any more than this.
Guesses:
I wrote this down as Australian Shiraz. There was NO BLACK PEPPER obviously detectable. However, the fruit forward nature of the wine and the the SCREAMING EUCALYPTUS was enough to send me to Australia and i the smoke and purple hues took me to shiraz rather than Cab sav.
A: Deep purple. Medium (+) viscosity
N: Pronounced nose. Eucalyptus, black cherry jam, eucalyptus.
P: Dry, medium acid, high alcohol, medium tannin, full body, medium +) intensity and finish.
C: Drink noe. Ticks for length and intensity. Good Quality wine but this isnt built to age any more than this.
Guesses:
I wrote this down as Australian Shiraz. There was NO BLACK PEPPER obviously detectable. However, the fruit forward nature of the wine and the the SCREAMING EUCALYPTUS was enough to send me to Australia and i the smoke and purple hues took me to shiraz rather than Cab sav.
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Red
2014 Tendril Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Tightrope
Tasted Blind
A: Pale ruby
N: Violet, cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, baking spice.Medium (+) nose. Youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid medium tannin, high alcohol, medium (+) body medium (+) intensity and finish.
C: Can drink now but has potential for aging. Very good quality wine. $50/bottle.
Guesses: Floral element with the fruit forward red fruit, baking spice and color meant this could only be a new world PN. I know that Oregon PNs are really incredibly floral when you hit the very good quality bracket and so my guess was an Oregon Pinot Noi from 2016.
Mistakes:
I got the vintage wrong. I need to work on that.
A: Pale ruby
N: Violet, cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, baking spice.Medium (+) nose. Youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid medium tannin, high alcohol, medium (+) body medium (+) intensity and finish.
C: Can drink now but has potential for aging. Very good quality wine. $50/bottle.
Guesses: Floral element with the fruit forward red fruit, baking spice and color meant this could only be a new world PN. I know that Oregon PNs are really incredibly floral when you hit the very good quality bracket and so my guess was an Oregon Pinot Noi from 2016.
Mistakes:
I got the vintage wrong. I need to work on that.
Red
2015 Banshee Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasted Blind
A: Dark ruby from core to meniscus
N: Vanilla, blackcurrant, red flowers, super plum, leather cloves. Youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid and tannin and high alcohol (15.3%), full body, pronounced intensity and medium (+) finish.
C: Its ok. Good quality wine. Certainly body but i think this need some time to age. Its drinkable now but just not terribly interesting making $35 pretty dire QPR.
Guesses:
I thought this was obviously new world but pegged it as a Merlot owing to the sugar plum.
Mistakes:
I should have checked the rim to see if there was a coral meniscus despite the ruby core. That would have indicated merlot and the lack of it would have tipped me to cab sav.
A: Dark ruby from core to meniscus
N: Vanilla, blackcurrant, red flowers, super plum, leather cloves. Youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid and tannin and high alcohol (15.3%), full body, pronounced intensity and medium (+) finish.
C: Its ok. Good quality wine. Certainly body but i think this need some time to age. Its drinkable now but just not terribly interesting making $35 pretty dire QPR.
Guesses:
I thought this was obviously new world but pegged it as a Merlot owing to the sugar plum.
Mistakes:
I should have checked the rim to see if there was a coral meniscus despite the ruby core. That would have indicated merlot and the lack of it would have tipped me to cab sav.
Red
2016 Casa Silva Carménère Cuvée Colchagua
Tasted Blind
A: Medium ruby with purple edge
N: Pronounced nose. Ripe and unripe fruit, cinnamon, blackberry and cherry coulis, white pepper. Peach preserve?...not sure about that last note at all.
P: Dry, high acid, medium (-) tannin, full body, medium (+) intensity and finish.
C: Good quality wine but drink up.
Guesses:
Fruit driven new world style but the ripe and unripe fruit and plus the hint of peach that i thought i got sent me to Zinfandel 2016.
Mistakes:
MISSED THE ESPRESSO that is typically associated with this grape. Recently found out from Ian Cauble MS's notes that you get both ripe and unripe fruit in both Zinfandels as well as Carmeneres. I can now see where i went wrong.
A: Medium ruby with purple edge
N: Pronounced nose. Ripe and unripe fruit, cinnamon, blackberry and cherry coulis, white pepper. Peach preserve?...not sure about that last note at all.
P: Dry, high acid, medium (-) tannin, full body, medium (+) intensity and finish.
C: Good quality wine but drink up.
Guesses:
Fruit driven new world style but the ripe and unripe fruit and plus the hint of peach that i thought i got sent me to Zinfandel 2016.
Mistakes:
MISSED THE ESPRESSO that is typically associated with this grape. Recently found out from Ian Cauble MS's notes that you get both ripe and unripe fruit in both Zinfandels as well as Carmeneres. I can now see where i went wrong.
Red
2016 Terrazas de Los Andes Malbec Reserva
Tasted Blind
A: Deep purple
N: Pronounced highlights. Smoke, menthol/eucalyptus, black cherry, blackberry, mocha. Youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid, medium tannin, alcohol felt high and not well integrated but was medium (+) at 13.5%, pronounced intensity medium (+) finish.
C: Could improve in time but i would be worried about the lack of tannin. Good quality wine.
Guesses:
Fruit forward with a very noticeable coffee expression and ripe fruit plus that menthol sent me to South america BUT i guessed carmenere because the very apparent coffee element.
Mistakes:
There was no unripe green element and it was more mocha than coffee. That chocolate addition should have suggested Malbec. Its a tell!
A: Deep purple
N: Pronounced highlights. Smoke, menthol/eucalyptus, black cherry, blackberry, mocha. Youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid, medium tannin, alcohol felt high and not well integrated but was medium (+) at 13.5%, pronounced intensity medium (+) finish.
C: Could improve in time but i would be worried about the lack of tannin. Good quality wine.
Guesses:
Fruit forward with a very noticeable coffee expression and ripe fruit plus that menthol sent me to South america BUT i guessed carmenere because the very apparent coffee element.
Mistakes:
There was no unripe green element and it was more mocha than coffee. That chocolate addition should have suggested Malbec. Its a tell!
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Red
2016 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County
tasted Blind
A: Deep purple with high viscosity
N: Medium (+) intensity. Chocolate, cassis jam, tobacco, baking spice.
P: Dry, medium (+) acid, tannin, intensity and finish. Full body and high alcohol.
C: Good quality, drink up
Guesses:
I had this as a Cab Sav owing to the cassis element that dominated here.
Mistakes:
Missed the millerandage..this seemed entirely ripe. Did not detect any peach reserve at all. No idea what i would have done differently to arrive a the correct answer. Worrying.
A: Deep purple with high viscosity
N: Medium (+) intensity. Chocolate, cassis jam, tobacco, baking spice.
P: Dry, medium (+) acid, tannin, intensity and finish. Full body and high alcohol.
C: Good quality, drink up
Guesses:
I had this as a Cab Sav owing to the cassis element that dominated here.
Mistakes:
Missed the millerandage..this seemed entirely ripe. Did not detect any peach reserve at all. No idea what i would have done differently to arrive a the correct answer. Worrying.
1 person found this helpful
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Red
2013 Frog's Leap Merlot
Tasted Blind
A: Deep purple
N: Black cherry, chocolate truffle, dust, plums, raspberry, baking spice. Pretty youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid, medium tannin, high alcohol, medium intensity and medium (+) finish.
Guesses:
the purple and the ripe fruit and chocolate took me to Malbec.
Mistakes:
Plums and so should have thought merlot but i didn't guess that this was 5 years old as the older color and the tertiary aromas weren't apparent.
A: Deep purple
N: Black cherry, chocolate truffle, dust, plums, raspberry, baking spice. Pretty youthful
P: Dry, medium (+) acid, medium tannin, high alcohol, medium intensity and medium (+) finish.
Guesses:
the purple and the ripe fruit and chocolate took me to Malbec.
Mistakes:
Plums and so should have thought merlot but i didn't guess that this was 5 years old as the older color and the tertiary aromas weren't apparent.