Question #1

Wines 1-3 come from the same country and are all made from the same single grape variety.

For all three wines:

a)      Identify the grape variety, giving reasons.

The colour for all three wines is a similar deep dark violet red. All three wines have abundant tannins that are on the chewy side in texture as well as high alcohol--- over 14% in each. All three wines also possess a good, well-integrated acidic structure and are quite fruit-driven. The colour, style, and flavour profile all lead me to believe that these three wines are from Zinfandel.

b)      Identify the origin as closely as possible, giving reasons.

The logical conclusion for this style and this variety is California as the place of origin.

Then for each wine:

c)      Comment on the style and quality.

Wine #1

c)         This dark, transparent red wine has dark berry fruit and marmalade aromas with soft smoked oak and coffee nuances. It is distinctly fruit-driven. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and possesses some extract sweetness due to ripe fruit. The tannins are abundant and firm, neither astringent and firm nor completely rounded and supple. The finish is not extremely long. This is a mid-quality wine of a modern popular style tuned for the mass market. This wine would command approximately 8 Euros on the current market.

Wine Description #2

d)      This deep dark red wine has violet reflections, yet is slightly transparent. The nose is fruity and reminiscent of ripe, dark damson plums and a hint of cassis. The tannins are abundant and supple: satiny in texture. The finish is medium long, yet not deep. Oak influence is better integrated in this wine than in the other two. This wine is slightly higher in quality than the other two wines, but still designed for broad consumer acceptance. This wine will command approximately 14 Euros on the current market.

Wine Description #3

This deep dark red wine has a discreet smoky nuance on the nose which is reminiscent of smoked, dried herbs and cold black tea wrapped around a core of dark, ripe plums. The acidity is perky, but well integrated and the tannins are less abundant than in the other two wines. This is a mid-quality wine of a modern popular style, likely made with the use of chips or staves. This wine would command approximately 8 Euros on the current market.

Question # 2

Wines 4-7 come from two European countries. They are made from a single grape variety traditional to those countries. Wines 4-5 are from one country: wines 6-7 are from the other.

For each wine:

a)      Identify the grape variety, giving reasons.

b)      Identify the origin as closely as possible, giving reasons.

c)      Comment on the style and quality.

Wine Description #4

This wine is very intense, dark garnet in colour and possesses a distinctly anamalic nose reminiscent of freshly tooled saddle leather. This wine initially has a glycerine mouthfeel that is then interrupted by very ample and firm and yet ripe tannins. A core of figs and plums are wrapped in dried, smoked herbs. The finish is medium long and of medium intensity.

a)      Because of the abundant firm tannins, fruit and floral character and animated acidity, I believe this to be a Sangiovese.

b)      Because of the deep concentration and smoky character, and of course the grape variety involved, I believe this wine to be from the southern parts of Tuscany.

c)      This is a wine of medium-high quality, certainly of a value around 15 Euros. It is fairly masculine for a Sangiovese, classically and invariably Tuscan in nature, dry, fruity-floral, and vibrant.

Wine Description #5

This deep dark garnet coloured wine has a slightly violet rim and has distinctly more intense fruit than the preceding wine. The tannins are abundant and supple, the acidity animated and well-integrated. Soft, smoky cedar box aromas are combined with floral nuances and deep damson plum flavours. The finish lingers long and elegant with medium intensity.

a)      and b) Because of the abundant, supple tannins, more intense fruit and longer finish, I believe this wine to be of a higher quality Sangiovese from a modern producer in Italy. This could possibly be a Brunello.

c)   The quality is excellent and the wine is much more elegant and feminine than the preceding wine. The finish is longer and more complex. This wine would command approximately 30 Euros, double that of the preceding wine, on the current market.

Wine Description #6

This dark garnet transparent wine has a distinct nose of ripe red forest berries. Fragrant black raspberries and vanilla are present on the nose and palate, but the finish is short and disappointing, but clean. The wine is medium-bodied and of low intensity.

a)      Because of the malleability of this wine and its flavour profile combined with the tasting flavour profile of wine #7, I believe this wine to be a Tempranillo..

b)      Because of the variety I deduce this wine to be from Spain, but because of the clean, yet very simple quality of this mild wine, I am unable to deduce from which region it would be, perhaps from one of the regions in the north of Spain.

c)      The style of this wine is mild, simple, and approachable --- a wine made more for quaffing and certainly not for meditation. Although simple, it is of acceptable quality and is fault free. The market worth of this wine can be estimated at approximately 5 Euros.

Wine Description #7

This dark garnet coloured wine has slightly brick coloured nuances, yet is deeper in colour and less transparent than the preceding wine. The tell-tale coconut fragrance of American oak is backed by subtle plum fruit and vanilla. The wine shows more depth and complexity on the palate than on the nose and the finish lingers long and intense with some mineral-graphite flavour.

a)      Because of the distinctive use of American oak, combined with the red fruit character of wine #6, this is my "banker" and I believe this to be the second of two Tempranillo wines from Spain.

b)      Because of the tannin extraction and use of oak. I assume this to be a modern wine from a region that is presently emerging as fashionable and trendy. I believe that this could actually be a wine from the elevated vineyards of Ribera del Duero. This wine would command approximately 25 Euros on the current market.

Question #3

Wines 8-12 come from the same country, but different regions and are made from a variety or blend of varieties traditional to that region.

For each wine:

a)      Identify the grape variety, giving reasons.

b)      Identify the origin as closely as possible, giving reasons.

c)      Comment on the style, quality and aging potential.

Wine Description #8

This transparent, dark red wine has a hint of purple in its reflections. It is dry, fruity, and has abundant satiny tannins. Roasted cedar and peppery spice are wrapped around a core of intense, ripe dark forest berries. The alcohol content is medium at approximately 12.5%. The finish is long, lingering, and satisfying and shows a hint of anamalic character (leather and game).

a)      Because of the high tannin content, dark berry fruit, and peppery spice, I believe this wine to be made from Syrah.

b)      Together with the other wines it is apparent to me that this flight finds its origins in France. The high quality of this wine and my deduction that it is made predominantly from Syrah lead me logically to the Northern Rhone. There are some modern, well vinified Syrahs of high quality coming from Longuedoc and Rousillon, but they are typically more ample and of a more open-hearted New World-like style and do not show the terroir that this wine does. It is the anamalic nature of this wine and its roasted cedar that keep me in the Northern Rhone. Its deep intensity and complexity lead me to guess at Guigal's Cote Rotie.

c)      The style is intense, compact, masculine, spicy and typical for the best of its region. The wine comes from a good, fairly recent year, probably 2001 and will benefit from further bottle maturation. This wine would best be drunk from 2011 to 2018 and would command approximately 40
Euros on the current market.

Wine Description #9

This transparent garnet coloured wine has an unfortunate sulphide note in its nose, but it is mild and evaporates rapidly with some time in the glass. Subsequently this wine combines red berry fruit with mild, earthy fragrances, and bourbon vanilla. The tannin content is low and their structure is silky. The wine is dry and has a medium high alcohol content of approx. 13%.

a)      and b) Because of the tannin content and structure, as well as the flavour profile and transparent garnet colour, I assume this wine to be a Pinot Noir from the Cote de Nuit in Burgundy.

b)      The style is traditional and the quality good, but not great. Good quality Pinot noir is always pricy and this wine can be estimated at an achievable price of 20 Euros. The wine is best drunk now until 2010.

Wine Description #10

This transparent, dark garnet coloured wine has a pronounced fruity nose reminiscent of dark cherries and caramel. The tannins are medium in content, finely grained, supple, and rounded. The wine is lightly spicy and quite juicy on the palate. The finish is medium long and of good intensity.

a)      and b) Because of the colour and juicy, fruity nature of this wine I believe it to be predominantly from Grenache. Since we are in France with this flight and I have deduced the variety to be Grenache, I believe this wine to be from the Southern Rhone.

b)      This wine is of good quality and although it has reached its peak, it will continue to drink well through 2008. This wine is worth approximately 12 Euros on the current market.

Wine Description #11

This wine is garnet coloured with brick reflections. The nose displays extremely vibrant and pronounced red berry fruit, reminiscent of wild forest raspberries and strawberries. The tannins are soft and silky and the acidity perky, animated, but well-integrated. There is a hint of deciduous forest floor.

a)      and b) Because of the distinct fruit flavour reminiscent of bright red berries, animated acidity, and light earthy nuances, I believe this wine to be a Gamay, from Beaujolais, from one of the Villages, likely Moulin a Vent from one of the better producers such as Drouhin or Duboef.

b)      Beaujolais is best drunk young, although some of the better villages, such as this one, will develop nearly Burgundian character with extended bottle aging. This particular example is showing some deciduous forest floor fragrances that make me assume that this wine has been matured some, but the colour is still youthful. It is currently 4-6 years old and at its peak of enjoyment where the vibrant juicy fruit can be enjoyed with a slightly Burgundian morbidity and earthiness. This wine would be priced at approximately 12 Euros in its youth, but any merchant with this still on their hands would sure dispose of it for less. Aged Beaujolais will never be in high demand.

Wine Description #12

This really dark, dense, dark red wine has a nearly opaque core. The nose is anamalic with leather backed by cedar.. Marlborough man pure, please hand me a cig. In the mouth this wine is packed with intense cassis and blackberries woven with charred oak, vanilla, pencil shavings, and tobacco. The finish is long, complex, and satisfying.

a)      and b) Because of the pronounced cassis combined with cedar and leather, I believe this wine to be a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated Bordeaux from the Haut Medoc region.

b)      The quality is excellent. The wine is from approximately the 1997 vintage and will continue to develop and improve over the next 5 years and is best drunk between 2008 and 2014. The current market value for this wine is approximately 35 Euros.

Wine Key

1)      Seghesio 2001 Zinfandel Sonoma County, 14.9%, 10.22 Euros

2)      Fetzer 2001 Zinfandel Barrel Select Mendocino County. 14.5%, 16.49 Euros

3)      Geyser Peak 2001 Zinfandel Sonoma County, 14.5%, 8.49 Euros

4)      Vecchia Cantina 1998 Vino Nobile di Montepuilciano, 13.5%, 13.49 Euros

5)      Poggio Antico 1999 Brunello, 13.5%, 25,62

6)      Domino de Aranleon 2002 Toro Spain, 13.5%, 5,24 Euros

7)      Bodegas Rodero 1999 Ribera del Duero, 13.5%, 21,21 Euros

8)      Chapoutier 2001 Cote Rotie Les Becasses, 13.0%, 37.43 Euros

9)      Michel Gros 1999 Vosne-Romanee, 12.5%, 25.41 Euros

10)  Chateau La Nerthe 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape, 13.5%, 18.06 Euros

11)  Georges Duboeuf 2001, 13%, 6,30 Euros

12)  Chateau Leoville Barton 1998 St. Julien, 12.5%, 40.32 Euros