Vino Italiano! Wines from the North of Italy - WSET 3.8

Courtesy Wine Folly

When your wine's on your lips,
And you're having some sips,
That's Amoré....

Ah, Italia!

This week was the first of two classes on one of my favourite places to visit, Italy. The focus was on Northern Italy, home of some pretty incredible wines.

First, though, we had another blind taste test and some questions. I think I did well on the taste test which was a 2016 Domaine de la Mordoree Cote du Rhone........ but I might have been a bit too generous with my overall assessment. We also had three short answer questions and I think I nailed two of them and guessed on one....

Now, back to Italy!

Italy is in a yearly neck-in-neck battle for the most wine produced - with France, of course. There are over 2000 varietals (many which never leave Italy), and 20 wine regions.

Northern Italy has a moderate climate with short, hot summers. Altitude is very important here because, together with a fairly large diurnal range, it slows the ripening which keeps the acidity high in the wine. Northern Italian wines are famously high yielding with low densities.

Trentino-Alto Aldige was the first area we looked at and this region has a lot of Pinot Grigio. Alto Adige grows mostly Pinot Grigio but some of it can be actually quite good (if you like Pinot Grigio). Trentino has higher yield Pinot Grigio (which means it's not as good) as well as a red grape called Terlodego which has deep colour, medium to high tannins, high acidity, a medium to full body, and black fruit.

Friuli Venezia Giulia is in the eastern corner of the country, The northern vineyards have a moderate continental climate while the southern vineyards have a warm maritime climate. The big white grape is Pinot Grigio (Oh no! Not again!) which is the richest in Italy with juicy peach and tropical flavours. There's another popular white grape called Friuliano which has aromas of red apples and pear. There are some DOCs (which are the second tier of their highest wine qualification) including Friuli Grave DOC (fertile soil on a plain - white and fruity wines), Collio (means hill) DOC (whites and reds), and Collio Orientali DOC (reds - and premium reds, at that!).

We didn't try anything from either of those two regions but we did try some from the next one - Veneto.

Veneto is the largest region in Northern Italy and is home to two famous appellations, Soave and Valpolicella. This area has a warm climate with moderate rain and sites benefit from the altitude and large diurnal range. Many of these wines are grown on flat plains, especially the more inexpensive Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, Corvina, Garganega and Trebbiano.

Soave has two areas - the Soave DOC and the Soave Classico DOC. There are also some Soave DOCG wines which are the highest classification in Italy. The vineyards on the foothills have limestone, clay and volcanic soil which are cool so the wines can fully ripen slowly which increases acidity. The vineyards on the flat plains to the south, on the other hand, have sandy soils (that are warmer) which speeds up ripening creating young, fruity wines that have medium acidity. The grape used to make Soave is Garganega and makes wines tasting of pears, red apple, stone fruit, and white pepper which can develop almonds and honey as the wine ages.

The Soave we had was a 2016 Pieropan Soave Classico ($26)  made from the Garganega grape. This wine had aromas of pear, peach apricot, nectarine and apple and had tastes of lime and wet stone. It was a dry wine with high acidity, medium intensity of flavour, and a medium finish. This wine was described to us as a 'simple' wine and garnered a Good rating with a drink now advisory.

Northwest of Verona is Valpolicella where the main grape is Corvina. Again, in the foothills there are limestone, clay, and volcanic soils which contribute to higher acidity while on the flatter areas, warmer gravel and sandy soils dominate.

The Corvina grape can make a pretty simple wine, as shown by the 2017 Folonari Valpollicella ($18) that we had. It had both red fruit and black fruit aromas and sour cherries, cranberries, and plums on the palate. This dry wine had high acidity, high alcohol and a short length. It wasn't a terrible wine and actually had some nice complexity and so, it earned a Good rating - drink it now, though!

Valpolicella can make good wines - but the Italians have done some other things with the Corvina grape - and these things are wonderful!

Amarone wines are made from the Corvina grape but the grapes are picked and then left put in racks in a drying building (called the passito method) and allowed to dry out (this drying out is called appassimento). The grapes basically turn to raisins, which really concentrates their flavours. The drying out averages around 120 days and then the grapes are made into a rich, deep, wonderful wine.

Ripasso wines are made by taking a regular batch of Valpolicella wine, adding the leftover grapes (called the pomace) from making the Amarone wine, and letting the grapes soak or macerate in the wine.  Ripasso basically means 'repassed' and that's what is happening to the grapes.

Recioto wines are basically Amarone wine that has stopped fermentation early - either by running out of nutrients, the alcohol getting to high, or being affected by noble rot. Although we didn't taste one of these during today's class, I did have one when we went out to a restaurant in Vancouver called "Ask for Luigi" where I finished off an amazing dinner with a small glass of Recioto. It was amazing!

The Amarone we had was a 2013 Tommasi Amarone  ($63) - the exact wine I had given a friend recently (which he shared) as a gift for his retirement. This wine is wonderfully rich had medium plus tannins, medium plus acidity, and a great full body! There were tastes of black cherry, black currant, fig, raisins, smoke and even some chocolate. It tastes dry but actually has some residual sugar. A high alcohol wine, this is balanced, complex in taste, super intense in both flavour and aroma, and has a superbly long finish. An Outstanding wine that is great to drink but could age some more.

We also had a Ripasso which is sometimes called the poor man's Amarone as it is cheaper but you get a bit of the taste of an Amarone. This one was a 2015 Tommasi Ripasso ($37) that had aromas and tastes of black plum, black cherry, cedar, tobacco, and raisin. The Ripasso was dry with medium plus body and intensity and medium tannins, acidity and finish. A Very Good wine that is a tasty drink now and could age for a few years longer.

The final region of northern Italy that we covered was Piemonte. This region in the northwest of Italy makes high quality wines and all are at the DOC or DOCG level - there are no IGP (2nd overall tier) wines. The mountains in the north provide a rain shadow for the area which experiences a moderate continental climate with long, cold winters and stormy, foggy summers. It's really a miracle that there is such wonderful wine made here!

In the south east of the region, Gavi wine is made from the Cortese grape. This high acid grape has floral aromas and tastes of citrus, green apple and pear. We tried a 2017 Michele Chiarlo Gavi ($27). This wine was a 'simple' wine with aromas and tastes of apple, peach, apricot, lime and wet stone. There's nothing wrong with a simple wine - it's just not that complex and not that intense. It did have a balanced taste and the finish was OK. Overall, a Good wine that should be consumed now.

Nebbiolo - the dog, not the grape...

In the northwest corner of Piemonte is the home of two regions that make Nebbiolo. Not only is Nebbiolo the name of my grand-puppy, but it is also a wonderful, high acid, high tannin, full bodied grape that can really surprise you the first time you drink it as the colour is quite pale. The two regions that are famous for Nebbiolo is Barolo and Barbaresco.  Barbaresco wines are a bit fruitier and less performed as they ripen a bit earlier. Agieng is different, too, as Barolo has to be aged 3 years (5 for Reserva) and Barbaresco has to only be aged for 2 years (4 for Reserva).

We were fortunate to have a 2010 Giribaldi Barolo Nebbiolo ($115). This wine had aromas of roses, tar, red currant, smoke, cedar and black cherry and had similar flavours on the palate.There were intense aromas and flavours as well as a long finish. Overall, the Barolo was balanced and complex and earned an Outstanding rating - you could drink this now or you could age this for a few years at least.

The last two areas we looked at was Asti and Alba.

Barbera is a grape that is made in either place, although Barberas made from Asti are considered better. This high acidity wine is good with duck which is what I would have had with the 2014 Boffa Barbera D'Asti ($33). This wine had aromas and tastes of red cherry, red plum, pepper, raspberry, and liquorice. It was a fairly balanced wine with good intensity and we rated this one as Good.

The final wine was a Dolcetto from Alba. This wine is sometimes described as being bitter or having a taste of cough syrup. It usually has medium to high tannins and medium acidity. We tried a 2015 Gresy Dolcetto ($35). The Dolcetto did, in fact, have aromas and flavours of cough syrup as well as black plum, black cherry, toast, dried herbs, and an overall earthiness. Although the length was a bit short, it was balanced, complex and had very good intensity, especially on the nose. This was rated as Very Good with potential for ageing.

I really enjoy wines from Italy. I am so looking forward to next week when we taste wines from Central and Southern Italy.

Ciao!

Das ist gut, ya? German, Austrian, Hungarian and Greek wines - and Mock Test Results! WSET 3.7

This week's class basically marked the half-way point of the course. I might not be too bad off...

The class started with Lynn returning our marked Mock wine tasting and exam. We had four questions on the exam and I nailed three of them. The fourth was pure guess work (Bandol is in what region and produces what kind of wine?) and I only got the region (Provence).  The wine tasting was OK - I was off a bit on some things like sweetness and alcohol as well as my overall assessment but I was mostly pleased with my first stab at a marked blind tasting.

We started off the class looking at German wines. There is some good Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) and a few other grapes but the king - or the kaiser - is Riesling. There are several levels but the best for dry is Qualitatsweine which has a GG (for Grosses Gewachs - basically Grand Cru) on the label. For wines that have some residual  sugar, there is the Pradikatsweine system which ranges from Kabinett (fully ripe) to Spatlese (late harvest) to Auslese (select harvest) to Beerenauslese (select harvest of berries) to Trockenbeerenauslese (select harvest of dried berries. The last two are really sweet due to both late harvest and noble rot, and don't come along all that often.

The main areas that we have to know are the Mosel (light Riesling), Nahe (between Mosel and the others in terms of the body of the Riesling), Rheingau (medium to full body Riesling - best sweet wines), Rheinhessen (good wines but also crappier Rieslings like I used to drink in high school like Blue Nun), and Pfalz (a lot like Alsace).

I used to dislike sweet wines but the sweet Rieslings are amazing. We tried two.

The first was a 2016 Robert Weil Kabinett Riesling ($47) from the Rheingau region. This wine was almost clear and had aromas of apple, pear, honeysuckle, wet stone and an overall minerality. On the palate it was elegant, light and delicate - and had an almost cheesiness to the flavour, according to one of my table mates. It was a medium dry wine with high acidity and a medium plus finish. This wine was rated as Very Good and had ageing potential (as do most Rieslings).

The second was also form Rheingau and was a 2007 August Kessler Spatlese Riesling ($92). As with a lot of aged Rieslings, the petrol smell almost knocked me off my seat. There was a lot of complexity including peach, apricot, honey, and, again, minerality. The sweet wine had long length and was an intense wine so I gave it an Outstanding rating. Great to drink now (11 years in) but also has super potential to age.

We then looked at Austria. Although Riesling is important here, Gruner Veltliner and Welschriesling (not related to Riesling) are also important whites. The reds that are popular are Zweigelt (purple flesh as well as skins so makes really deep colour wines), Blaufrankisch (really great wines) and St. Laurent (similar to Pinot Noir).

Austria has a similar classification system to Germany, especially with their Pradikat system. All of the wine regions are in the east part of the country as the west is full of the Alps.

We tried a red and a white from Austria.

The white was a 2016 Gruner Veltliner from Domaine Wachau ($36). This wine was a Smaragd wine which mean it had higher alcohol. I smelled and tasted nectarine, apple, peach, pepper, and it had an overall steely flavour. It was a Good wine in my opinion. It had some complexity and intensity but the length and body were just OK.

 

The red from Austria was 2014 Moric Blaufrankisch Reserve ($59) from Burgenland.  I've never had a Blaufrankisch before but I will certainly have one again! It had intense aromas of black currant, black cherry, fig, and clove. On the palate was also black plum, tobacco and cedar. This wine had high acid, medium alcohol, high tannins and a long finish. Ready for ageing and Outstanding!

Greece has been making wine for a long time. A really long time. Of the 200 varieties, we looked at three - two reds - Xinomavro (from Macedonia) and Agiorgtko (north of the Peloponnese) - and a white - Assyrtiko (from Santorini Island). We had the opportunity to try all three!

The first was a 2015 Boutari Agiorgtko ($28). It had some interesting aromas including red fruit, raisin, and sweet spices. Overall, it was a dry wine with high acid, medium tannins and medium body. Although balanced and fairly complex, it was not that intense and didn't have a long finish. Drink now - rated Good.

The second was the white - a 2015 Alpha Estate Assyrtiko ($38). This was a bit better wine with lots of stone fruits as well as lemon and wet stones. It did have a bit of a short finish but had nice ageing potential. It was rated as Very Good.

The final Greek wine was a 2013 Averoff Xinomavro ($39). This one really did taste like Nebbiolo - I could definitely smell roses on the nose, as well as red fruit like cranberry and strawberry. Like Nebbiolo, this wine could age - in fact, probably should as the tannins were gigantic in this wine! Also Very Good. 

The area of Hungary that we looked at was that Tokaj region. Although they make some dry wines, the area is most famous for its wonderful sweet wines. When we were in Las Vegas earlier this year, I had a Tokaji with Foie Gras and I thought that I'd died and gone to heaven!

We tried just one Tokaji - a 2009 Chateau Derezsla ($56) made from Furmint and Harslevlu grapes. It had a 5 Puttonyos sweetness rating which is quite sweet. It is an amazing wine with peach, apricot, cloves, lychee and honey on the nose and passion fruit, marmalade, honey and pineapple on the palate. This wine is Outstanding. You could tell by the fact that, instead of the usual spitting of wines, everyone in the class seemed to be slowly sipping and savouring this fantastic wine!

Rhone Wines are Da' Bomb! - WSET 3.6

As Bacchus might have said, "All Grapes Lead to Rhone".

This week's class focussed primarily on the Rhone area. But first, we had a test.

It wasn't THE test - this was a mock test. We were given one wine to taste and write notes on. Then we were given four questions to write about.

The tasting was good. I could tell it was a Chardonnay - a Freemark Abbey 2015 Chardonnay from Napa Valley - $41 at Everything Wine (although we don't actually have to identify the wine) and I could taste the fruit as well as the oak on the wine. I'm pretty sure I listed all of the different parts of the tasting note, although I won't know for sure until I get the mock test back next week. 

The four questions were good as well. I think I nailed the first three. Example - "What is a Cru Bourgeois wine?" The last one was a tricky one and I didn't get it all. It was - "Describe a wine from Bandol including the grape and region." I got the region (last minute - Provence) but not the grape. I thought it was Grenache but it was actually Mouvedre. 

After the mock test was done, we started looking at the Rhone. The Northern Rhone is just Syrah for reds. And some of the Syrahs from there are wonderful! The whites are Viognier and the happy couple of Marsanne and Rousanne.  Famous areas include Cote Rotie ('roasted slope'), Hermitage, Cornas (Syrah only), Condrieu (Viognier only) and St. Joseph. 

The Southern Rhone, on the other hand, has a bunch of grapes. The reds from this area can have up to 13 different grapes in the blend! This is where you get your famous Chateauneuf de Pape wine which is predominantly Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre with some other grapes possible such as Cinsault or Carignan.  Besides Chateauneuf de Pape, there is Gigondas, Vacqueyras (good value!), Lirac (also good value!) and Tavel (rosé only). 

We also looked at Southern France which is basically the Languedoc, Roussilon, and Provence areas. This is a huge area with grapes similar to the Southern Rhone. There are lots of crappy, bulk wines but good wines can be found in areas like Minervois, Corbieres, Picpoul de Pinet (good value!), and Bandol. 

When we finally got to the tastings, I have to say that, not only was my palate better tonight, but that I really enjoyed these wines - they were amazing! 

The first two were whites from the Rhone area - one a blend and one a single varietal. 

The single varietal was a 2016 E. Guigal Viognier from Condrieu ($92). It had a pronounced nose with stone fruits such as peach and apricot as well as vanilla from oak ageing. On the palate were the same flavours but fairly low acidity, high alcohol, an intense taste profile and a medium plus finish. It was, as our instructor, Lynn, said, "A bit fat," so would garner a Very Good rating. 

The second wine was a white 2015 Combes D'Arnevel Chateauneuf de Pape ($48). This was a really nice wine that had aromas and flavours of honeysuckle, orange blossom, lemon, apricot, vanilla and minerals. It had time on the lees and had almost high acidity (especially compared to the Viognier). It was a dry wine that was also rated as Very Good - and because of the minerality of the wine, would be suitable for ageing. I have had lots of red Chateauneuf de Pape wines, but not a white one that I can remember - I will have to  change that!

Next we had three different wines from the Rhone. 

The first was a rosé although it was fairly dark for a rosé. It was a 2015 M. Chapoutier Beaurevior Tavel ($30). This deep salmon coloured wine had smells and tastes of strawberry, cranberry, red cherry, and plum. There weren't any secondary or tertiary notes on this one which meant you should drink it now.  This was fairly high in acidity and in alcohol and had a good, strong finish. I rated this one as Very Good. 

The next wine was a lovely 2015 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf de Pape ($60). This wine had both red and black fruits such as cherry and black currant on the palate and also had toast, cedar and a wonderful earthiness. The finish was long and the intensity strong in this balanced, complex wine. It was rated Outstanding and would be suitable for ageing. 

The last wine of the trio was a fabulous 2013 Jean Luc Colombo Terres Brulées from Cornas ($100). Made of 100% Syrah, this wine had a deep purple colour and aromas and flavours of black currant, black berry, black cherry, green pepper, charred wood, tobacco and earth. It had both high tannins and high acidity and tasted better than most Syrahs I have ever had! It was balanced, intense, complex and had a great, long finish. Suitable for ageing, this was definitely an outstanding wine!

The final two wines were from the big region of South France that covers Languedoc, Roussillon, and Provence.

First up was a Cotes du Roussillon Village - definitely better than just a Cotes du Roussillon and was a 2015 Les Terrasses Regis Bouchabeille from Domaine Bouchabeille ($30). This was a Grenache blend, like the Chateauneuf de Pape but was a LOT easier on the pocketbook. It had both red fruit (red cherry, red plum) and black fruit with secondary aroma and taste of cedar and the tertiary one of earth, meaning that it is still developing. The flavours were pronounced and there was a nice long finish so we gave this one a Very Good rating. 

Finally was an extremely interesting 2014 Mas de Rouviere from Bandol. The overwhelming aroma, at first, at least, was the smell of chicken gravy! It took awhile to figure this one out - what we were smelling was a gamey smell, desirable in a developing wine. There were also tastes and smells of black liquorice, black currant, and cedar. A profoundly intense wine made with 100% Mourvedre, I would have this again - it really started to appeal to me as it opened up. A Very Good wine!

And, a very good class! Loved the wines this week!

WTF! Wine Tasting Fiasco! WSET 3.5

This week's class marks the one third point in our course. I have been feeling pretty good about my tasting ability.

Until this week....

Our first wine region was the Loire valley. This is a big area that stretches from the ocean (maritime climate) to the centre of France (continental climate). The main grapes are pretty easy to remember. 3 blancs and a franc - Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon Blanc (or Muscadet) and Cabernet Franc. Some of the famous areas in the Loire include Chinon (Cab Franc), Muscadet and Vouvray Chenin Blanc).  There's also two really famous Sauvignon Blanc regions, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.  A great deal for Sauv Blanc is in Menetou-Salon which has great wine but not the same expensive price.

Our first wines were the three whites. Unfortunately, I had a really difficult time figuring out which was which. For example, I thought the Sauv Blanc was Chenin Blanc until I tasted what I thought was Sauv Blanc - and it was sweet! Threw me off completely!

Oh well, here's the wines:

Our first was a wine that had gooseberry, flint, stone, lemon and grass on the nose. It was definitely a youthful wine that also had apple and pear on the palate. It was a 2017 Domaine Delaporte Chavignol Blanc ($38). This wine had high acidity, medium alcohol, and medium (+) intensity of flavour. We rated this wine as Very Good and was a 'drink now' wine. I initially thought it was the Melon Blanc.

The second of the trio was a 2017 Domaine de la Pepiere  Muscadet Sevre et Maine ($26) which is the best of the Muscadets. This Melon Blanc had peach, apricot, melon (ha! melon for a Melon Blanc!), lemon peel and a bit of grassiness on the nose with some yogurt flavours from being on the lees on the palate. Despite the time on the lees, I felt that although this wine was balanced and complex, it did not have a particularly long finish and was not all that intense so was rated as merely Good. This wine is good to drink now and is not suitable for ageing.  Unhappily, I thought this was initially a Chenin Blanc.

The final wine of my three initial errors was a 2016 Maison Darragon Hautes des Ruettes Vouvray made from Chenin Blanc ($28). By the way, if it says Vouvray on the label, it has to be Chenin Blanc. I really enjoyed this one as it had pronounced intensity and something that I had a hard time defining, on the nose. The smell was wet wool which is textbook for a Chenin Blanc. There were also aromas and tastes of ripe apple, honeysuckle, honeydew, and honey. It was a balanced wine that was pretty intense, complex, and had a fairly long finish. I would put it between Very Good and Outstanding. When I first smelled this one, I thought it was a Sauvignon Blanc because of the funky smell, By the way, if you're ever in the Okanagan, Road 13 makes an amazing Chenin Blanc sparkler.

As you can see, the first three wines did not go well. I fared better, however, with the next two.

Moving East and South from the Loire valley, we ended up in Burgundy, home to the world's most expensive wines. In Burgundy, they make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and that's about it. The north part does mainly Pinot Noir and the south part does mainly Chardonnay, although there are exceptions. Beaujolais is actually considered part of Burgundy but it's such a different kind of region, I have separated it out.

The first two wines were Chardonnay wines. Chardonnay is made from such famous places as Chablis, Mersault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassage-Montrachet. I was able to figure out which was from Chablis and which was from the Cote de Beaunne - thank goodness something went right this week!

The first of these wines was a 2017 Jean-Paul and Benoit Droin Chablis ($58).  This had tastes of apple, grapefruit, lemon, butter and stone and was a high acid, bone dry wine. It was balanced, had complexity and was fairly intense but lacked a long finish so we gave it a Very Good rating (and a pat on the back for my first correct wine of the night). Drink this one now as it is not suitable for ageing!

The second wine was heaven! This one was a 2014 Chassagne- Montrachet ($131) and is a Monopole wine which means that this is one that the negociant produces from their own vineyards and is their flagship wine. There was a lot of different fruit going on here but the best was the secondary and tertiary characteristics such as vanilla, butter, roasted nuts, mushroom and popcorn. It had all the hallmarks of an Outstanding wine and was one that you could drink now but wold also really benefit from ageing.

Staying in Burgundy, we then looked at some Pinot Noir. There are many different houses that make first rate Pinot Noir including Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits St. Georges, and the incredible but incredibly expensive, Pinot Noir. Domaine Romanee Conte which is a winery that demands some of highest prices for a bottle of wine anywhere.

Unfortunately, I was back to my old tricks again and mixed these up!

The first was a 2015 Joseph Faively Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($32). This had a fair bit going on including red plum, cranberry, cedar, smoke, and red cherries. On the palate, there was a pronounced intensity of flavours. It met some of the criteria for the assessment of quality and was rated Good.

The other Pinot Noir was a 2015 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Premier Cru from Nuits St. George ($100). This wine also had some great fruit on it including red plum, raspberry, cranberry, strawberry, and something vegetal - mushroom? - as well as strong tannins. This wine was less austere than the first one (which is maybe why we guessed wrong) and has some wonderful fruit flavours. Despite the age on it already, it would definitely benefit from ageing. It was rated Very Good - bordering on Outstanding.

I was on more solid ground for the last two wines. One was from the Loire - from Chinon - so a Cab Franc - and one was from Beaujolais - so a Gamay Noir. Beaujolais is one of those wines (like Pinot Noir) that's a great one to order if everyone at a restaurant orders something different. There's also Beaujolais Nouveau which is released this year on November 15th. It is a super light, bubble gummy wine (from carbonic maceration) and is supposed to be lots of fun - I've never had a Beaujolais Nouveau so I will definitely try it out next month. 

The Beaujolais that we did have was a 2016 Close de Roilette from Fleurie ($30), one of the ten crus of Beaujolais. It had flavours of stewed fruit, black cherry, bubble gum, and a bit of pepper. There was medium tannins, alcohol, and intensity with maybe a bit higher than medium acidity, It was very good but should be consumed now.

Courtesy BK Wine Photography

Fun fact - most vines in Beaujolais are trained in the gobelet style where the spurs are pushed up and tied together - sort of like braiding your hair and tying the braids together on the top of your head. 

The final wine was a 2016 Bernard Baudry Les Granges Chinon from the Loire valley ($27). It had flavours and aromas of black currant, red plum, eucalyptus, and smoke. This wine was high in acid and in tannins and had some cedar on it as well that meant it could age. It wasn't all that balanced and the length was OK so the question would be, would you bother ageing it as it was only a Good wine? 

Good question.

And so, my evening ended with me mis-identifying 5 of the 9 wines and missing out on a variety of aromas - or just getting them wrong. I will definitely have to refine my palate over the next few weeks. 

Will Taste Feverishly.