Syrah from Sicily

ChatGPT generated linocut illustration showing a bottle of Syrah in front of a stylised Mt Etna

For whatever reason, Syrah is not really a variety I had associated with Sicily. Equally, somewhat stubbornly I guess, I was perhaps predisposed to dislike it given its status there as an international variety. Sicily has so many unique autochthonous varieties not found elsewhere, you could argue, so why plant one that’s found (nearly) everywhere else warm enough to properly ripen it?

I was wrong, of course. (I often am. It’s a talent.)

Of course, one should not overlook the region’s unique autochthonous grapes, such as Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, and Carricante. Nero d’Avola produces many excellent everyday wines that pair wonderfully with various foods, while Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, especially on Mt Etna, are capable of profundity and outstanding beauty.

Perhaps surprisingly, Syrah seems to thrive in Sicily. Currently, there are 5,284 ha planted on the island, so a lot to try! Initially, I assumed the warm climate would yield a generic “New World” style Syrah. However, some of the Sicilian Syrahs I’ve tried have been relatively medium-bodied and savoury. The Oxford Companion to Wine notes that ‘Syrah shows particular potential in the province of Palermo, with Peter Vinding Diers’ Montecarrubo near Modica probably the finest, if not exactly underpriced.’ (I’ve not been able to try this specific wine yet.) The same reference mentions Sicily’s diverse soils, elevations, and mesoclimates, suggesting that there are sites on the island that are just perfect for Syrah.

I’ve not been able to track down much regarding the history of the grape in Sicily, except that the suggestion made by some that the grape originated in Syracuse, Sicily seems to be not correct. It seems to have first been planted in the mid-19th century, and increased in popularity during the late 20th century. It would be interesting too to know more about the specific terroirs that suit the grape in Sicily. Hopefully, further reading should provide more information and a further post in the future.

The wines

Cantina Nicosia

While contemplating writing this article, I managed to try a number of different Syrah from Sicily. I contrast them here with a couple of Syrah from other parts of the world. We’ll start with the Sicilians first, though — and with two vintages of Cantina Nicosia’s ‘Fondo Filara’ Sicilia Syrah. These are very good value wines that should be relatively easy to find in supermarkets here in Italy and thus represented the first example of Sicilian Syrah that I got to try.

2021 Cantine Nicosia ‘Fondo Filara’ Sicilia Syrah
Tasted 4th May 2023
Colour: medium purple
Nose: medium(+) intensity, secondary, youthful. Red and black plum, Davidson’s plum, plum jam. Pomegranate, cranberry. Lots of spice: maybe nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, green peppercorn. Touch of old oak. Balsamic vinegar.
Palate: medium tannins (very fine grained and smooth), medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium length finish. Red and black plum, Davidson’s plum, plum jam. Pomegranate, cranberry. Lots of spice: maybe nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, green peppercorn. Touch of old oak. Balsamic vinegar.
Conclusions: very good, and hence very good value at 9,70 €. Quite a distinct style of Syrah. Can drink now, but suited to further ageing.

2022 Cantine Nicosia ‘Fondo Filara’ Sicilia Syrah
Tasted 10 April 2024
Colour: medium purple
Nose: medium intensity, secondary, youthful. Red and black plum, mulberry jam, blackberry jelly, fruiti di bosco. Touch of black pepper. Maybe some green olive on first opening. Sweet spice, cocoa.
Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium(-) tannins, medium alcohol (13%), medium(-) bodied. Red and black plum, mulberry jam, blackberry jelly, fruiti di bosco. Touch of black pepper. Some greenness that maybe is green olive or maybe is lime and celery. Sweet spice, cocoa.
Conclusions: good? Maybe picked just a touch early, presumably to keep the alcohol at ~13%? Can drink now, but suited to further ageing. P&P (pop&pour), not decanted.
Seal: technical cork
DAY 2: better than yesterday! The lime character has become a bit better integrated, and overall it’s smoothed out a bit. Decent medium-bodied Syrah. Still not as good as I remember the 2021 being, though.

A few other Sicilian Syrah

We can then move on to another couple of wines found via the exhaustive and rigorous method of searching online. The first comes from the town of Monreale on the slopes of Monte Caputo, and the winery describes it as having a ‘clima intensamente caldo ma ventilato’ (hot but windy climate).

2022 Sallier de la Tour Sicilia Syrah
Tasted 8th March 2024
Colour: medium(+) purple
Nose: medium(-) intensity, secondary, youthful. Red and black plum, bramble, mulberry. Touch of blackberry jam? Cedar, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon. Black pepper?
Palate: dry, medium tannins, medium(+) acidity, medium (13,5%) alcohol, medium bodied. Medium intensity, medium length finish. Red and black plum, bramble, mulberry. Touch of blackberry jam? Cedar, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon. Black pepper?
Conclusions: good. Can drink now, but suited to further ageing. P&P (pop&pour), not decanted.
Seal: Normacorc Select Green 100 synthetic cork

2020 Castellucci Miano Terre Siciliane Syrah
Tasted 6th March 2024
Colour: medium purple
Nose: medium(+) intensity, secondary, youthful. Red and black plum, bramble, mulberry, blackberry jam. Black pepper. Prunes, blackberry fruit leather. Nutmeg, cinnamon, cough syrup, cedar.
Palate: dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol (14%), medium(+) bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium(+) length finish. Red and black plum, bramble, mulberry, blackberry jam. Black pepper. Prunes, blackberry fruit leather. Nutmeg, cinnamon, cough syrup, cedar.
Conclusions: very good. Can drink now, but suited to further ageing. P&P (pop&pour), not decanted. From vineyards at 400-500m asl near Valledolmo, on the south-western slopes of the Madonie mountains.
Seal: VINC+ technical cork

Interlopers… ?

And, finally, some interlopers. The first is a wine from a Côtes du Rhône village in the very southern part of the northern Rhône, where wines made from 100% Syrah are permitted. The second is from a French-Australian collaboration in a cooler part of Victoria, which often produces new world wines with a more ‘old world’ flair. Both are producers whose wines I’ve tried previously and always enjoyed.

2021 Eric Texier Côtes du Rhône-Brézème
Brézème (Livron-sur-Drôme), northern Rhône valley, France
Tasted 16th May 2024
Colour: medium purple
Nose: medium intensity, secondary, youthful. Red plum, redcurrant, cranberry, pomegranate. Red cherry. Violets, maybe lavender. Crisp, fresh red fruit. Crabapple. Bramble. Cedar, nutmeg, cinnamon. Touch of cough syrup.
Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium tannins, medium alcohol (12,5%), medium bodied. Medium intensity, medium(+) length finish. Red plum, redcurrant, cranberry, pomegranate. Red cherry. Violets, maybe lavender. Crisp, fresh red fruit. Crabapple. Bramble. Cedar, nutmeg, cinnamon. Touch of cough syrup.
Conclusions: very good! Can drink now but suited to further ageing. P&P (pop&pour), not decanted. 100% Syrah.
Seal: natural cork.

2014 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier ‘Saddleback’ Pyrenees Shiraz
Pyrenees, western Victoria, Australia
Tasted 17th November 2023
Colour: intense ruby
Nose: medium(+) intensity, secondary, developing. Red and black plum, bramble, blackberry jam, plum jam. Pomegranate. Juniper berry, bergamot, lavender. Cedar, oak, balsamic vinegar, sweet spice.
Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol (14,5%), medium(+) bodied. Medium intensity, medium length finish. Red and black plum, bramble, blackberry jam, plum jam. Pomegranate. Juniper berry, bergamot, lavender. Cedar, oak, balsamic vinegar, sweet spice.
Conclusions: very good. Can drink now, but suited to further ageing. My first Australian wine this year and my first Australian Shiraz since last December. This is obviously Australian, but with a French interpretation.
Seal: natural cork
DAY 2: similar to yesterday, but maybe a bit more rich and plush than I remembered — just a bit more “new world”. Plum jam, and now maybe leather. Still lovely!

Final thoughts (for now…)

I guess that, in wine just as in any aspect of life, it’s instructive to sometimes re-evaluate our preconceptions and subject them to some kind of scrutiny. Maybe a wine style previously dismissed appreciated will become a new favourite. Our tastes evolve, and sometimes the examples we’ve encountered weren’t as representative as we assumed.

In this case, my idea that Syrah would not benefit from the climate here or produce anything beyond a generically decent warm-climate Shiraz were well worth re-evaluating. Thankfully, I was wrong.

Perhaps it’s the soil, perhaps it’s the mix of altitudes, or the specific microclimates, but Sicilian Syrah does have something to say and it’s something specific to the region. It isn’t rehashed copies of other wine styles, it’s its own thing. Isn’t that the best one can hope for in a wine?

ChatGPT image

Winter morning, Girlan

Winter morning, Girlan, Eppan an der Weinstraße, Südtirol, Italy
Winter morning, Girlan, Eppan an der Weinstraße, Südtirol, Italy
iPhone SE2, built-in 3.99 mm lens, 1/287 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20.

A cold but bright winter morning. Light snow overnight, clearing before dawn. Frost in the air. Just after 8 am, but the sun is only just hitting the mountains with warm light. Bozen, in the valley below, is still shrouded with fog.

St Anthony’s Way

St.-Antonius-Weg
St Michael Eppan
iPhone SE2, built-in 3.99 mm lens, 1/800 sec, f/1.8, ISO 20.

St Anthony’s Way, Autumn. Two tiny terriers snarl ferociously at me when I stop to take the photo, defending their territory against all-comers. It’s good there’s a sturdy fence between us, or they’d tear me to shreds. Or I’d tred on them without noticing.

Kellerei St. Michael Eppan Cantina

Some notes on wines made by St. Michael-Eppan, a co-op winery located an arduous 600m walk from where I live. They have a large selection of wines across several ranges, of which the Sanct Valentin wines are the top of the range, and the single vineyard wines are the middle. The quality seems generally excellent. 

2020 St Michael-Eppan Schulthauser Weißburgunder
Colour: medium(-) lemon-green
Nose: medium(-) intensity, secondary, youthful, clean. Fresh and stewed pear, heritage apple varieties. Lemon, lemon peel. Lemon curd. Apricots. Wet stones. Some leesy richness. Just the slightest hint of cedary French oak.
Palate: medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol (13,5%), medium bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium(+) length finish. Fresh and stewed pear, heritage apple varieties. Lemon, lemon peel. Lemon curd. Apricots. Wet stones, saline, minerally. Some leesy richness. Just the slightest hint of cedary French oak (15% is barrel fermented). Bracing, fresh, lithe, stoney.
Conclusions: very good to outstanding. Can drink now, but suitable for ageing or further ageing.
Seal: DIAM5 cork.

2019 St Michael-Eppan Sanct Valentin Chardonnay
Colour: medium(-) lemon-green
Nose: medium intensity, secondary, youthful, clean. Lemon, lemon curd. Peach, nectarine. Passionfruit, pineapple? Cedar, hazelnut, walnut, vanilla. Honeycomb. Butter, leesy richness. 
Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol (14%), medium(+) bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium(+) length finish. Lemon, lemon curd. Peach, nectarine. Passionfruit, pineapple? Cedar, hazelnut, walnut, vanilla. Honeycomb. Butter, leesy richness. Some glycerolic richness, smooth mouthfeel. Good example of a rich, riper, medium(+) bodied Chardonnay. Richness and alcohol are nicely balanced by the acidity. Don’t serve too cold!
Conclusions: very good. Can drink now, but suitable for further ageing.

2019 St Michael-Eppan Lagrein Riserva
Colour: intense purple
Nose: intense, secondary, youthful, clean. Mulberry, bramble, black plum, prunes. Blackberry fruit leather. Pomegranate. Cedar, nutmeg, cinnamon, coffee. Earthy, autumnal. 
Palate: dry, medium acidity, medium(+) tannins, medium alcohol (14%), medium(+) bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium(+) length finish. Mulberry, bramble, black plum, prunes. Blackberry fruit leather. Pomegranate. Cedar, nutmeg, cinnamon, coffee. Earthy, autumnal. Good on a winter’s evening with a nice steak.
Conclusions: very good. Can drink now, but suitable for further ageing.
Seal: natural cork

2020 St Michael-Eppan Sanct Valentin Sauvignon blanc
Colour: medium lemon green
Nose: medium(+) intensity, secondary, youthful, clean. Starfruit, maybe cape gooseberry. Elderflower, gooseberry. Passionfruit! Green snap peas, grassy. Redcurrant? Biscuity lees, touch of old oak.
Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol (14%), medium(+) bodied. Medium intensity, medium length finish. Starfruit, maybe cape gooseberry. Elderflower, gooseberry. Passionfruit! Green snap peas, grassy. Redcurrant? Biscuity lees, touch of old oak, sweet spice. Some creamy, glycerolic mouthfeel. 
Conclusions: very good. Quite distinct from either NZ or Loire Sauvignon. This was a noticeable step up from their single vineyard “Lahn” Sauvignon, and I think the oak added a bit of extra complexity. Can drink now, but suitable for short-term ageing.
Seal: natural cork.
Notes from a half bottle.

2020 St Michael-Eppan Sanct Valentin Gewürztraminer 
Colour: medium lemon
Nose: pronounced intensity, secondary, youthful, clean. Lemon peel, lemon cordial. Lychee, pineapple, banana, honeysuckle. Ripe pear. Rose petal. Cream. 
Palate: off-dry (6,5g/L residual sugar), medium(+) acidity, high alcohol (14,5%), full bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium length finish. Lemon peel, lemon cordial. Lychee, pineapple, banana, honeysuckle. Ripe pear. Rose petal. Cream. Rounded, oily, creamy mouthfeel. Almost seems dry, especially for a Gewürztraminer — sweetness is balanced by acidity & hint of bitterness. Very aromatic.
Conclusions: very good. Drink now, likely not suited for ageing.
Seal: natural cork.

2018 St Michael-Eppan Sanct Valentin Cabernet Merlot
Colour: medium(+) purple
Nose: medium(+) intensity, secondary, youthful, clean. Blackcurrant, red and black plum, mulberry. Strawberry. Charred oak, woodsmoke, cinnamon. Touch of earthiness?
Palate: medium acidity, medium(+) tannins, high alcohol (14,5%), medium(+) bodied. Blackcurrant, red and black plum, mulberry. Strawberry. Charred oak, woodsmoke, cinnamon. Touch of earthiness? Quite restrained despite the higher alcohol: not a full throttle, full bodied Cabernet by any means. 
Conclusions: very good. Can drink now, but suitable for further ageing.
Seal: natural cork

Christmas wines

A few nice wines for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. All were drinking beautifully. The Beaune blanc was a little more oxidative in character than I’d guessed it would be, but I don’t think this was a case of the dreaded prem-ox. It was a beautiful wine, and an interesting interpretation of an otherwise exclusively red wine terroir. The Chablis was beautiful, a good mix of Chablis austerity and fruit richness. It would be interesting to see how it aged. The Cornas was lovely, with some delicious aged, savoury character. The cork fell apart on opening, but had kept the bottle perfectly, and well past the winery’s suggested 10 years.

2016 Domaine Clos de la Chapelle Beaune 1er Cru “Les Reversées” Blanc

Colour: medium(-) gold

Nose: medium(+) intensity, tertiary, developed. Lemon, lemon peel, lime. Starfruit. Heritage apples. Ripe apricot and nectarine. Glacé quince, poached pear. Honey, lanolin, beeswax. Touch of cedar and sweet spice? Mealy, bran, biscuit, burnt butter.

Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol (13,5%), medium(+) bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium(+) length finish. Lemon, lemon peel, lime. Starfruit. Heritage apples. Ripe apricot and nectarine. Glacé quince, poached pear. Honey, lanolin, beeswax. Touch of cedar and sweet spice? Mealy, bran, biscuit, burnt butter. Quite rich and round, full. Slightly oxidative?

Conclusions: very good. Drink now, not sure about its ageworthiness

Seal: natural cork

2018 Domaine Daniel Dampt et Fils Chablis 1er Cru “Fourchaume”

Colour: deep lemon

Nose: medium intensity, secondary, youthful. Lemon, lemon peel, lemon curd. Nectarine, peach. Orange blossom. Apricot pastry. Butter, brioche, sweet pastry, sweet spice. Touch of steeliness/flintiness.

Palate: dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium bodied. Medium(+) intensity, medium length finish. Lemon, lemon peel, lemon curd. Nectarine, peach. Orange blossom. Apricot pastry. Butter, brioche, sweet pastry, sweet spice. Touch of steeliness/flintiness. Good balance between citrus, ripe fruit, and Chablis steeliness. Opens up with a bit of air.

Conclusions: very good to outstanding. Can drink now, but suitable for ageing. Just don’t serve too cold!

Seal: natural cork

2006 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Cornas “Les Grandes Terrasses”

Colour: deep garnet

Nose: pronounced intensity, tertiary, fully developed. Blackberry, blackcurrant, bramble. Maybe black plum. Elderberry. Raspberry, strawberry. Brown sugar, caramel. Forest floor, earthy, leather, black tea, soy sauce. Cedar, cinnamon, nutmeg, biter cocoa.

Palate: dry, medium acidity, medium(+) tannins, medium alcohol (13%), medium bodied. Medium intensity, medium(+) length finish. Blackberry, blackcurrant, bramble. Maybe black plum. Elderberry. Raspberry, strawberry. Brown sugar, caramel. Forest floor, earthy, leather, black tea, soy sauce. Cedar, cinnamon, nutmeg, biter cocoa. Quite rich and full, with a touch of jamminess, but also quite savoury. Delicious!

Conclusions: very good to outstanding. Drink now, probably not suitable for further ageing

Seal: natural cork

Two budget-friendly Italian wines

Two very nice, budget-friendly wines from opposite ends of Italy. The Lugana region is near Lake Garda in northern Italy, and the Appassimento is from Puglia in the far south. Both were drinking beautifully, and both might age well for another few years. Excellent value, and well worth looking out for!

2019 Cà Maiol Lugana

Colour: clear pale lemon

Nose: medium intensity, secondary , youthful. Lemon, lemon peel, green apple. White flowers. Passion fruit, underripe pineapple. Bitter almonds? Biscuity lees character.

Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol (13%), medium bodied. Medium length finish, medium intensity. Lemon, lemon peel, green apple. White flowers. Passion fruit, underripe pineapple. Bitter almonds? Biscuity lees character. Lithe, lots of fresh acidity, but lots of fruit character and some richness.

Conclusions : good. Drink now
Seal DIAM5 cork

2019 Emporium Appassimento Salento IGT

Colour: deep ruby , hint of brick red

Nose: intense, secondary, youthful. Red and black plum, blackberry jam, stewed tamarillo. Dried orange peel, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, cedar. Coffee. Dried moscatel grapes? Leather, earth.

Palate: dry to off-dry, medium(+) acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol (14,5%), full bodied. Pronounced intensity, medium(+) finish. Red and black plum, blackberry jam, stewed tamarillo. Dried orange peel, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, cedar. Coffee. Dried moscatel grapes? Leather, earth. Lots of rich, ripe, fruit sweetness that’s balanced by the minerality, the drying tannins, and the fresh acidity, that’s just enough to keep it in balance. Aims to be a ‘vino di meditazione’, and pretty much managed it. Very good value for money.

Conclusions: good to very good. Can drink now, but suitable for ageing.
Seal natural cork
Blend of primitivo and negramaro grapes

A Bordeaux and a Burgundy

Two very nice wines for a birthday dinner last night… and there were no clashes, despite one being a Burgundy and the other a Bordeaux! Both represented very good value, especially the Clos de Myglands.

Good Mercurey 1er crus represent something that is increasingly rare in Burgundy: good value for money. This particular wine was drinking very nicely, despite obviously still being very young. (If you’re wondering about the odd name… it’s apparently a corruption of the English ‘My Land’, the name given to the site by an English dignitary). It was fresh and lively, with plenty of crunchy fruit, but also has the structure to age. Highly recommended.

The Sauternes was simply delicious and drinkable. Age has given it some added complexity, but really it was just beautifully rich and sweet but balanced. A dessert in a bottle. Lovely!

2016 Faiveley Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Myglands
Colour: medium(+) ruby

Nose: medium intensity, secondary, youthful. Sour cherry, black and red cherry, strawberry, red plum, cranberry. Rhubarb? Beetroot? Cedar, baking spice, maybe bitter cocoa.

Palate: dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, medium alcohol (13%), medium bodied. Sour cherry, black and red cherry, strawberry, red plum, cranberry. Rhubarb? Beetroot? Sappy. Cedar, baking spice, maybe bitter cocoa. Good balance of fruit, spice, and savouriness. Live, lithe acidity, and firm, dark, spicy, structural tannins. Really nice!

Conclusions: very good. Can drink now, but suitable for ageing or further ageing.
Seal: natural cork

2009 Château de Myrat Sauternes

Colour: deep gold

Nose: medium (+) intensity, tertiary, developing. Pear, apricot, orange marmalade, preserved quince. Barley sugar. Hint of earth and white mushrooms? Cedar, baking spice.

Palate: luscious, unctuous, rich. High acidity, high alcohol (14%), full bodied. Medium(+) length finish, medium(+) intensity. Pear, apricot, orange marmalade, preserved quince. Barley sugar. Cedar, baking spice, vanilla. Very rich and full. Very sweet, but balanced.

Conclusions: very good (esp given the price!). Can drink now but suitable for ageing or further ageing.
Seal natural cork. Notes from a half bottle.

WSET Level 3 tasting notes, Brisbane: Sessions 1, 2, & 3

I am reposting my notes from CellarTracker for my first day of WSET Level 3 here.

WSET LEVEL 3, SESSIONS 1, 2, & 3 – Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (14/1/2021)

This was the first day of my WSET Level 3 course.

Note: I haven’t studied with WSET before, so I am just getting used to their systematic approach to tasting wine — so apologies if I make mistakes with the tasting note format as I learn.

Course Induction and Tasting Technique

Wine bottles from session 1

We tasted a few different wines to begin to attune our palates, and to calibrate them to align with the tutor’s palate and the classes’ palates. I was surprised that I wasn’t keen on the Rioja, as I normally love aged Riojas — but for me this had an odd character on the nose (window cleaner??) that I found off-putting.

  • 2017 Parini Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie – Italy, Delle Venezie
    Appearance: clear medium lemon
    Nose: lemon, lemon peel. Pear, apple. Flinty. Simple. Clean, light, primary, youthful. Medium(+) intensity.
    Palate: lemon, lemon peel. Underripe nectarine? Lime. Flinty? Dry, high acidity, medium alcohol, light bodied, medium flavour intensity, primary, short flavour intensity.
    Assessment of quality: Acceptable.
    Level of readiness for drinking: Drink now, not suitable for ageing or further ageing.
  • 2016 Foxeys Hangout Chardonnay White Gates Vineyard – Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
    Appearance: clear medium lemon
    Nose: lemon, lemon peel. Peach. Butter, cheese. Walnut. Oak: vanilla. Flint/sulfur? Clean, medium(+) intensity, developing, youthful.
    Palate: lemon, lemon peel. Pineapple? Biscuit/brioche. Touch of flint. Peach. Butter. Walnut. Oak: vanilla. Dry, medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol, medium bodied. Medium flavour intensity, medium finish.
    Assessment of quality: Very good
    Level of readiness for drinking: Drink now, but has potential for further ageing.
  • 2018 Barton & Guestier Beaujolais-Villages – France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages
    Appearance: Clear medium purple
    Nose: raspberry, cherry/kirsch, cassis, plum, cranberry. Confectionery. Cola. Clean, medium intensity, primary, youthful.
    Palate: Red cherry, strawberry, plum, blackcurrant. Cola/medicinal. Confectionery. Whole bunch character? Dry, medium(+) acidity, medium(-) tannins, medium alcohol. Light bodied, medium flavour intensity, medium finish.
    Assessment of quality: acceptable
    Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, not suitable for ageing
  • 2006 Urbina Rioja Reserva Especial – Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
    Appearance: clear medium garnet (aged?)
    Nose: Cranberry, cassis, cooked black plum. Cherry. Liqueured cherry. Dried herbs, mushroom, leather, earth, tobacco, savoury. Prunes. Oak: vanilla, nutmeg. Cola/cough syrup. Tomato leaf? Clean, medium intensity, tertiary, fully developed.
    Palate: Sour cherry, black plum, cassis. Blackberry. Black tea? Leather, earth, tobacco. Oak: vanilla. Savoury, earthy. Mint. Dried herbs. Dry, medium(+) acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol. Medium(-) body, medium finish.
    Assessment of quality: Very good.
    Level of readiness for drinking: Drink now, has potential for ageing or further ageing.

The Natural Factors and Human Influences in the Vineyard

The idea was to guess the grape variety, based on descriptions of several key varieties. I guess Cabernet Sauvignon, but assumed I was wrong because it seemed too simple and I normally get these wrong. IT was Cabernet Sauvigon.

  • 2019 Les Domaines Paul Mas Cabernet Sauvignon – France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d’Oc
    Appearance: clear deep ruby
    Nose: cassis, blackberry, black cherry, blueberry? Confectionary. Tobacco, maybe green bell pepper. Black pepper? Cloves, cedar? Clean, medium(+) intensity, secondary, youthful.
    Palate: cassis, blackberry, black cherry. Medicinal, tobacco. Green bell pepper??? Oak: cedar. Dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, medium(+) body, medium alcohol. Medium(+) intensity, secondary, medium finish.
    Assessment of quality: good
    Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, not suitable for ageing or further ageing
  • 2016 Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Vineyards – USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley
    Appearance: clear deep ruby
    Nose: black cherry, blackberry, cassis, blackcurrant, black plum. Green bell pepper?? Tomato leaf?? Oak: cedar, nutmeg. Biscuit? Clean, medium intensity, secondary, youthful.
    Palate: black cherry, blackberry, cassis, blackcurrant, baked plum? Green bell pepper??? tomato leaf. Oak: cedar. Dry, medium acidity, medium(+) tannins, high alcohol, medium(+) flavour intensity, secondary, medium(+) finish.
    Assessment of quality: very good
    Level of readiness for drinking: Drink now, suitable for ageing or further ageing.

The Human Factors in the Winery that Influence Style, Quality and Price

A final flight of wines at the end of the day. Everyone was rather tired at this point, but I liked the La Crema Chardonnay.

  • 2019 Zilzie Chardonnay Selection 23 – Australia, Victoria
    Appearance: clear medium lemon
    Nose: grapefruit, lemon peel. Pear, pear drops. Pineapple? Oak: cedar. Smokey/sunburnt grapes. Clean, medium(-) intensity, primary, youthful.
    Palate: lemon, pear, melon, pineapple. Unripe nectarine. Cedar? Dry, medium(+) acidity, medium alcohol. Medium intensity, primary, medium finish.
    Assessment of quality: acceptable
    Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, not suitable for ageing or further ageing
  • 2018 La Crema Chardonnay Monterey – USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey
    Appearance: clear deep lemon
    Nose: lemon. Underripe necatarine, peach. Passionfruit? Lees: biscuit, bread dough. Oak: vanilla, toast, cedar. Clean, medium intensity, secondary, youthful.
    Palate: Lemon, lemon peel. Melon? Underripe nectarine, peach. Lees: bread dough. Oak: cedar, toast, vanilla. Dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol. Full body, secondary, pronounced intensity, long finish.
    Assessment of quality: very good
    Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, suitable for ageing or further ageing
  • 2018 First Creek Wines Shiraz Harvest – Australia, New South Wales
    Appearance: clear medium ruby
    Nose: blackberry, raspberry, red plum, red cherry. Simple. Cedar? Clean, medium intensity, primary, youthful.
    Palate: strawberry jam. Red plum, raspberry. White pepper. Cedar? Simple. Dry, medium(-) acidity, medium(-) tannins, medium alcohol. Medium(+) bodied, medium(-) flavour intensity, primary, medium(-) finish.
    Assessment of quality: acceptable
    Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, not suitable for ageing or further ageing.
    NOTE: wine details on CellarTracker are currently wrong, the name should be First Creek Shiraz ‘Harvest’, and it is not a Hunter Valley wine — ‘Australia’ is the only region mentioned.
  • 2018 Head Wines Syrah The Contrarian – Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    Appearance: clear deep purple
    Nose: bramble. Black cherry, black plum (cooked and fresh), blackberry. Black pepper. Liqueured preserved fruit. Dried herbs. Medicinal. Oak: vanilla, nutmeg. Clean, medium intensity, primary, youthful.
    Palate: strawberry jam, black cherry, black plum, bramble. Fig? Oak: cedar, chocolate, vanilla. Dried herbs? Black pepper. Dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, medium alcohol. Medium(+) bodied, medium(+) flavour intensity, primary, long finish.
    Assessment of quality: good
    Level of readiness for drinking: drink now, potential for ageing or further ageing

All-in-all, it was a good start to the course, and a great chance to try some wines that I usually wouldn’t. Three sessions down, twelve to go!

Posted from CellarTracker

“To occur at all, festivals, celebrations, civilizations must be constructed; sustained by contribution” — M. John Harrison

Roman ruins, Vienne, France, 17 May 2019 14:21
Pentax K-x, 10-24mm lens @ 14.4mm, 1/50 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100.

“The humanity of the world is maintained only through constant effort. If you learn to grow flowers as a child — if you understand how quickly they die without water — you become a better adult. People think of love as a given. Love is made. Maybe it does come out of nowhere but it can’t support itself here, and it would soon go back there if we let it. To occur at all, festivals, celebrations, civilizations must be constructed; sustained by contribution. The nightmare of this novel is that among its characters nothing is being constructed. The only alternative to inertia, animalism and paranoia is magical thinking. Nothing practical is being done. The curve of humanity bottoms out. From here the only way is up. Where its author sites herself in relation to this understanding is uncertain.”
— M. John Harrison, “Imaginery Reviews” in You Should Come With Me Now