Classic Markers

Question 1

Cabernet Sauvignon: Left Bank Bordeaux Blend

Answer 1

Sight: deep ruby.
Nose: black fruits (berry, black cherry and cassis) with green olive, cedar, pencil lead, violet-floral, and green herbs. Wines from cooler vintages
can display more red fruit character as well as more pronounced pyrazine/herbal notes. Elements of clay, dried leaves, mushroom, and turned earth can also often be found. Leather and game are common in older wines. Oak aging adds smoke, toast, and sweet baking spice notes.
Palate: medium-to-full bodied and bone dry to dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high in warm vintages; acidity: medium-plus; tannin: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: the combination of deep black fruits, green herbs, earth/forest floor, and bright acidity.

Question: Graves or Haut-Medoc? AOC, Cru Classe?

Question 2

Cabernet Sauvignon: California

Answer 2

Sight: deep ruby.
Nose: ripe, even jammy black fruits (berry, cherry, cassis and currant) with green olive, cedar, chocolate, and green herb notes. Cooler climate wines can display red fruit characteristics and more pyrazine and herbal notes. Oak aging adds smoke, toast, sweet baking spices, and sawdust notes.
Palate: full bodied and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: California/Napa Cabernets are generally much riper and richer in style than Bordeaux without the prominent earth/mineral component.

Question: Napa Valley or Sonoma?

Question 3

Cabernet Sauvignon: South Australia

Answer 3

Sight: deep ruby.
Nose: blackberry, black cherry and black currant fruit with pronounced mint/eucalyptus and green pyrazine notes. Oak adds vanilla, baking spices, and toast.
Palate: full bodied and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: Coonawarra Cabernet is very distinctive with classic Cabernet black fruits but with a strong presence of pyrazines and mint and eucalyptus.

Question: Western Australia?

Question 4

Cabernet Sauvignon: Chile

Answer 4

Question: Central Valley?

Question 5

Pinot Noir: Burgundy

Answer 5

Burgundy: Côte de Nuits

Sight: light to medium ruby.
Nose: red fruits—cherry, raspberry, strawberry–with tea, floral, herb, and mushroom/earth. With age, the wines take on gamy-vegetal-earthy complexities difficult to describe. Oak aging adds smoke, vanilla, sweet spice, and wood notes to the wines.
Palate: medium to medium-plus bodied and bone dry to dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus; tannin: medium-minus to medium.

ID Keys: although deceptively light in color, high quality wines can be quite concentrated in flavor. Lighter-bodied, supple, and elegant, with bright red fruits (not black!), tea-spice, earth, and oak. Some winemakers use stems during fermentation giving the wines a green woody quality on the nose and palate as well as firmer tannins.

Burgundy: Côte de Beaune

Sight: light to medium ruby.
Nose: tart or ripe red fruits depending on the quality of the vintage; cherry, raspberry, and cranberry are common. Non-fruit aromas include green herb, black tea, rose floral, and clay/earth/mineral notes. As with wines from the Cote de Nuits, age can add gamy—savory-vegetal-earthy complexities. Oak aging adds aromas of vanilla, baking spices, and toast.
Palate: medium-bodied and bone dry to dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: generally, wines from the Cote de Beaune tend to be relatively earthier and firmer in tannins than those from the Cote de Nuits

Conclusion: Cote d’Or either way. Village, 1er Cru?

Question 6

Pinot Noir: California and Oregon

Answer 6

Sight: medium to deep ruby.
Nose: ripe red fruits (black fruits in warm vintages or regions), herb, floral, tea, and more. Oak aging adds smoke, sweet spice, and wood flavors.
Palate: medium to medium-plus bodied and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus (and getting higher all the time …); acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: supple red berry fruit, spices, and new wood. Stem tannins often present but a there a relative lack of earthiness when compared to Burgundy.

Question: Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast, or Willamette Valley?

Question 7

Pinot Noir: New Zealand

Answer 7

Sight: light to medium ruby.
Nose: red fruits—both fresh and dry–with considerable herb, floral, tea, and mineral/soil. Oak aging adds smoke, sweet spice and woody flavors.
Palate: medium to medium-plus bodied and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: New Zealand Pinots are similar in style to California and Oregon with supple red fruit, spices and new wood qualities. However, the wines are distinct with their pronounced herbal notes; many display a chalky mineral quality.

Question: South Island, Central Otago or North Island, Marlborough?

Question 8

Merlot: Right Bank Bordeaux Blend

Answer 8

Sight: very deep ruby.
Nose: red and black fruits, green herb, mushroom-forest floor, violet floral, earth-mineral. Oak aging adds vanilla, sweet spice, and toast/smoke.
Palate: medium-plus to full-bodied; supple, rich and lush; bone dry to bone.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high in warmer vintages; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: Generally,Merlot-based right bank wines tend have softer tannins than their Cabernet-based left bank counterparts as well as more herbal/vegetal characteristics.

Question: Pomerol or St. Emilion? AOC, Grand Cru, Grand Cru Classe?

Question 9

Merlot: California, Australia and Chile

Answer 9

Sight: very deep ruby.
Nose: ripe black fruits, green herb, bitter chocolate, and oak. Mint and eucalyptus sometimes found.
Palate: full-bodied and usually richer and riper than right bank Bordeaux wines.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: generally, Merlot tends to be ripe and supple with lush fruit and herbal notes; riper, fuller-bodied wines display considerable alcohol with a relative lack of earthiness and considerable new oak. Tannins tend to be less angular than Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s important to note that Cabernet is often blended with Merlot to add structure.

Question: Napa Valley or Sonoma?

Question 10

Gamay: Beaujolais Villages

Answer 10

Sight: medium to deep ruby with purple highlights.
Nose: candied, artificial fruit derived from carbonic fermentation with floral, green herb, and stony earth.
Palate: medium-bodied and bone dry to bone. Emphasis on candied fruit, herb, and granitic soil
Structure: acidity: medium-plus; alcohol: medium to medium-plus, tannin: medium-minus to medium.

ID Keys: look for the candied fruit-basket quality with herbal and stony qualities

Villages, Cru?

Question 11

Grenache: Southern Rhône Grenache Blend

Answer 11

Sight: medium to deep ruby.
Nose: ripe, intense baked red and black fruits, wild savory herb (garrigue), black and white pepper, mushroom, stony earth, and large wood (not barrique). Some wines display pronounced game, dried meat and soy/jerky qualities.
Palate: full-bodied and dry to bone dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: the best Southern Rhône blends like Châteauneuf-du-Papes and Gigondas combine ripe-baked red and black fruits, high alcohol, pepper, garrigue, stony earth, and considerable tannins. Stylistically, lower-end wines such as simple Côte du Rhone are light, fruity, and sometimes made with carbonic maceration. Wines from better appellations such as the two above can be powerful, tannic, and very age worthy.

Question: Châteauneuf-du-Papes or Gigondas?

Question 12

Grenache: Australian Old Vines Grenache

Answer 12

Sight: deep, opaque ruby red.
Nose: ripe, powerful, intense red and black fruits with black pepper-spice, pronounced mint-eucalyptus, a touch of earthiness, vanilla, and oak spice.
Palate: full-bodied, powerful, and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: a full-throttled red with very ripe, jammy red fruits, pepper-spice, and a pronounced minty quality, with high alcohol and lots of tannin.

Conclusion: South Australia

Question 13

Syrah: Northern Rhône

Answer 13

Sight: medium to deep ruby with purple highlights.
Nose: black and red fruits, white and black pepper, floral, sour green plum, bacon/smoked meat, Mediterranean herbs, tobacco ash, stone-mineral, and oak.
Palate: medium to full-bodied and dry to bone dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: look for the combination of floral, red and black fruits, pepper, greengage (sour green plum), tobacco ash, smoky-meats, and stony minerality.

Conclusion: Northern Rhone

Question 14

Syrah: Australian Shiraz - Barossa

Answer 14

Sight: opaque ruby purple.
Nose: ripe, concentrated black fruits as well as red and dried fruits; also black and white pepper, sweet spice, leather, and wood. American oak is traditionally used giving the wines pronounced vanillin, coconut, baking spices, and sawdust. It’s also important to note that many producers now use French oak or a combination of French and American oak.
Palate: full bodied and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus and infrequently high.

ID Keys: typical Barossa Shiraz is rich, ripe, and powerful, and can sometimes be confused with Zinfandel. Shiraz usually displays more depth of color than Zin; also look for the emphasis of black fruits, pepper, mint, leather and the use of American Oak. Mint and eucalyptus notes are very common.

Conclusion: Western Australia
Question: South Australia? Victoria?

Question 15

Syrah: USA

Answer 15

Question: Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast?

Question 16

Nebbiolo: Piedmont

Answer 16

Sight: medium to deep ruby-garnet with considerably rim variation. Orange and brown can be found at the rim even in young wines.
Nose: rose petal floral, tar, dried red cherry and cranberry, vegetal-forest floor, mushroom/truffle-earth, and wood; a unique combination of floral and earthy aromas.
Palate: medium to full-bodied and bone dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium-plus to high; tannin: high.

ID Keys: color gradation (orange in the rim), high acidity, and very high tannins make Nebbiolo fairly easy to recognize. Also look for the dried fruit and floral qualities. The wines are often austere, tart, and incredibly tannic when young.

Question: Barolo or Barbaresco? Normale, Riserva?

Question 17

Sangiovese: Tuscany - Chianti Classico

Answer 17

Sight: medium to deep ruby. Can display rim variation in youth.
Nose: bright red fruits with tomato leaf-green herb, sandalwood, chalky earth, and wood notes. Some wines have Cabernet blended in and display darker fruit qualities as well.
Palate: medium to full-bodied and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus to high; tannin: medium-plus to medium-high.

ID Keys: tart red (and black) fruits, anise/herbs, sandalwood, chalky earth, and high acidity are key factors. The use of Cabernet and new oak can alter the Sangiovese character, sometimes considerably.

Brunello di Montalcino: Brunellos are made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso and see longer time in wood by law; thus the wines tend to be more evolved on release than a typical Chianti Classico or Vino Nobile.

Question 18

Tempranillo: Spain

Answer 18

Sight: medium to deep ruby garnet.
Nose: dried red fruits, dried herb, and sunbaked earth; traditionally made wines show pronounced American oak character (dill-dried herb, vanillin, sweet spice, sawdust).
Palate: medium to medium-plus bodied and bone dry to bone.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: traditional Rioja Reserva combines dried red fruits, leather, earth, and pronounced American oak flavors. Gran Reserva wines show even more oxidative character. It’s important to note that more producers are using French oak or a combination of French and American oak.

Question: Rioja or Ribera del Duero? Reserva, Gran Reserva?

Question 19

Zinfandel: California - Dry Creek Valley

Answer 19

Sight: medium to deep ruby.
Nose: a combination of red, black, and dried fruits with black and/or white pepper, bramble-briar, sweet spices, oak, and high alcohol. Some wines also display notes of peach-apricot and yogurt.
Palate: full-bodied and usually dry, but full-bodied wines often display jammy or stewed fruit with a touch of residual sugar.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: the tendency for Zinfandel to ripen unevenly is a key to recognition; some wines will show both raisiny and under ripe fruit in the same glass. Generally, Zinfandel tends to be a full-throttle red with ripe, jammy fruit, and pepper-spice qualities.

Conclusion: Sonoma
Question: Napa Valley? Paso Robles?

Question 20

Malbec: Argentina

Answer 20

Sight: deep ruby purple.
Nose: ripe black cherry/berry and cassis with tart cranberry secondary notes; also violet, green herb, iron/blood, and wood spices. Some wines can display a touch of dusty earthiness.
Palate: medium-plus to full-bodied and dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus; tannin: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: a combination of deep purple color, ripe and unripe fruits and floral qualities.

Conclusion: Mendoza

Question 21

Sauvignon Blanc: Loire Valley

Answer 21

Sight: pale to medium straw with green highlights.
Nose: grapefruit-lemon/lime citrus notes with pronounced chalky minerality, herbal-grass (pyrazines), and white flower notes.
Palate: light to medium-bodied and very dry to bone dry. Use of little or no wood typical is typical for Sancerre while use of partial or all new wood can be found in Pouilly-Fumé.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: the combination of tart citrus, pyrazines, and chalky minerality. Look for oak in Pouilly-Fumé but not in Sancerre.

Question: Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé?

Question 22

Sauvignon Blanc: Bordeaux

Answer 22

Question: Pessac-Leognan or Graves? New Wood Aging?

Question 23

Sauvignon Blanc: New Zealand

Answer 23

Sight: very pale straw with green and silver highlights.
Nose: grapefruit and lime citrus notes; overt pyrazines dominate; bell pepper, jalapeno, cut grass, and herbs; some wines can be aggressively vegetal while others have a touch of minerality.
Palate: medium-bodied and dry with emphasis on mouthwatering, juicy citrus fruit. Oak is almost never used.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: Pyrazines and lack of minerality.

Conclusion: South Island, Marlborough

Question 24

Sauvignon Blanc: USA

Answer 24

Question: Napa Valley or Sonoma County? New Wood Aging?

Question 25

Chardonnay: California/Australia

Answer 25

Sight: pale to medium yellow with green highlights; riper styles tend to be deeper in color.
Nose: cool climate wines tend to display tart green apple/pear, tropical fruit (mango, papaya, pineapple), and tart citrus notes. Warmer climate wines offer ripe (even baked or puréed) apple/pear fruit and other aromas including floral, lemon/lime citrus and butter/cream/buttered popcorn aromas from malolactic fermentation/conversion. Barrel fermentation and lees contact imparts aromas of cream and yeast as
well as lending a richer texture on the palate with aromas of vanilla, baking spices and wood.
Palate: medium to full-bodied depending on the climate and/or appellation and quality of the vintage. Styles range from lean, racy wines from cool climates with tart, malic fruit, to warm climate wines with ultra-ripe fruit and high alcohol. Malolactic fermentation/conversion imparts buttery, butterscotch flavors; oak makes its presence known in the form of vanilla, sweet spices, and wood tannins. Dry to off-dry to slightly sweet in style.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: though there are an increasing number of exceptions, New World Chardonnay tends to be all about winemaking. Look for the combination of ripe fruit with the classic Chardonnay treatment of barrel fermentation, lees contact, malolactic fermentation, and new oak.

Question: Napa Valley, Sonoma County, or Central Coast?

Question 26

Chardonnay: Chablis

Answer 26

Sight: pale to medium straw with green highlights.
Nose: tart green apple and lemon-citrus fruit with pronounced chalky sea shell minerality. Some producers use new oak imparting spice and wood aromas. Malolactic fermentation is also sometimes used.
Palate: medium-bodied and boned dry to dry. The intensity of flavor and quality varies with producer and the specific appellation (1er Cru vs. Grand Cru). Theoretically, the better the appellation the more intensity of minerality and overall flavor.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: textbook Chablis can be austere and bone dry with high acidity and pronounced chalky minerality. The fruit is often overshadowed by the minerality in all but the ripest vintages. Traditionally made wines display little, if any, oak although winemakers are increasingly using more wood.

Conclusion: Chablis. Villages? 1er Cru?

Question 27

Chardonnay: Côtes de Beaune

Answer 27

Sight: light to medium straw with green highlights.
Nose: apple/pear and citrus fruit with mushroom-earth and mineral notes; also butter/cream aromas from malolactic and vanilla, yeast and brioche notes from lees contact, and baking spices, toast, and wood notes from oak aging.
Palate: medium to full-bodied and bone dry to dry. The wines can be quite powerful depending on the pedigree of the vineyard and quality of the vintage.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: the combination of tart apple/pear fruit with bright citrus, hazelnut, earth, and new oak flavors is key to recognition. Generally, the style of Chassagne-Montrachet tends to be richer with Puligny-Montrachet known for elegance and Meursault known for pronounced earthiness. Again, these are very broad generalizations and exceptions often occur.

Conclusion: Cote d’Or. Villages? 1er Cru?

Question 28

Chardonnay: Maconnais

Answer 28

Villages? 1er Cru?

Question 29

Riesling: Germany

Answer 29

German Riesling can be found in a dramatically wide range of styles depending on the specific, style, prädikat or region. Young wines offer bright, pure fruit, minerality, and tart acidity, while wines with bottle age often display a complex, earthy character often referred to as petrol or diesel. The compound responsible for the petrol character is called “TDN.” Here are general descriptions for young wines for all six prädikats:

Kabinett:

Sight: very pale straw green and brilliant in color.
Nose: tart green apple and green pear with white peach, lime citrus, tropical fruits (pineapple, mango and more), and slate/mineral. No wood influence.
Palate: Kabinetts tend to be light-bodied, racy wines with a touch of residual sweetness.
Structure: low alcohol with medium-plus to high acidity.

Spätlese:

Sight: pale straw green and brilliant in color.
Nose: tart apple and pear, white peach, stonefruits (apricot, peach and nectarine), honey (if botrytis is present), tropical fruits, tart citrus, and
slate/mineral.
Palate: light to medium-bodied and off-dry to slightly sweet in style. No wood influence.
Structure: low to medium-minus alcohol with high acidity.

ID Keys: German Rieslings vary dramatically in style from light, delicate Kabinetts with just a touch of sweetness all the way to the noble sweet wines with amazingly high acidity and a wealth of residual sugar. Increasing residual sugar in each succeeding prädikats gives a richer, more unctuous mouth feel. The high acidity found in most wines also masks some of the residual sugar making the wine seem less sweet. Quality wines show the stamp of the vineyard regardless of the level of residual sugar, all without any trace of wood. Older wines take on fuesel notes (TDN) and other bottle complexities.

Question: Mosel or Rhein? Trocken, Kabinett, Spatlese?

Question 30

Riesling: France - Alsace

Answer 30

Sight: straw to medium yellow.
Nose: ripe apple-pear and yellow peach fruit with sweet and tart citrus. Wines with botrytis have honey and stone fruit elements along with floral
and mushroom/earth notes.
Palate: full-bodied and dry to off-dry in style. Some “dry” wines are slightly sweet.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acid: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: Riesling flavors but with rich, ripe fruit, and higher alcohol; more alcohol and richness than most German Rieslings with a bit less acidity and a weightier and rounder mouth feel.

Conclusion: Alsace. AOC, Grand Cru? Dry, Slight RS?

Question 31

Riesling: Australia - Clare and Eden Valleys

Answer 31

Sight: medium straw with green highlights.
Nose: racy green apple, unripe green pear, lime zest, and mineral with a touch of white floral.
Palate: medium-bodied, bone dry to dry; bracingly acidic with an austere character.
Structure: medium alcohol and high acidity.

ID Keys: Clare and Eden Rieslings can be remarkably intense in character with bracing acidity and astonishing minerality not to mention their austerity and potential for long-term aging. Wines with age often show pronounced TDN notes.

Question: Clare Valley or Eden Valley? Dry?

Question 32

Chenin Blanc: Loire Valley

Answer 32

Sight: pale to medium straw green.
Nose: red and golden apple, quince, lemon-lime citrus, peach-apricot, floral, spring greens/herb, green olive, and pronounced chalky minerality. SO2 often detected; used barrels or no wood at all.
Palate: bone dry to sweet depending on the style. Vouvray Sec and Savennières can be austere, bone dry, and intensely flavored wines with intense minerality. Vouvray Demi-Sec and Doux often display honey and botrytis notes with tart citrus and chalky minerality.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus to high.

ID Keys: dry wines have a combination of apple-peach fruit, wet wool (SO2), and wet stone-minerality with high acidity and no wood. Sweeter wines have honey, ripe stone fruits, citrus, and minerality. The SO2 qualities often make Old World Chenin easier to identify.

Question: Savennieres or Vouvray? Sec, Demi-Sec?

Question 33

Semillon: Bordeaux Blanc with Sauvignon Blanc

Answer 33

Sight: medium to deep straw.
Nose: ripe apple-pear fruit with notes of wax-lanolin, floral, lemon citrus, and earth. Some wines are blended with Sauvignon Blanc and oak aged.
Palate: medium bodied and dry with a waxy texture and notes of gravelly earth and oak.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus.

ID Keys: the combination of waxy texture, racy acidity, presence of earth and oak are keys to recognizing Semillon-based White Bordeaux. Some wines show a reductive note from mercaptan.

Conclusion: Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux Blend.
Question: Pessac-Leognan or Graves? New Wood Aging?

Question 34

Gewurztraminer: Alsace

Answer 34

Sight: deep straw to pale yellow.
Nose: exotic, highly-perfumed nose of ripe stone fruits, lychee, sweet citrus, pronounced floral (rose petal and jasmine), and earth-mineral. Wood rarely used.
Palate: medium-plus to full-bodied. The palate is rich, viscous, and sometimes oily with the hallmark phenolic bitterness on the finish; wines commonly have more than a touch of residual sugar even to the point of being slightly sweet.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity; medium-minus to medium.

ID Keys: Alsace Gewurztraminer is unmistakably flamboyant with its heady, exotically perfumed nose, succulent off-dry fruit, oily texture, bitter finish, and lack of acidity.

Question: AOC, Grand Cru?

Question 35

Viognier: Northern Rhône - Chateau Grillet & Condrieu

Answer 35

Sight: medium straw.
Nose: pronounced floral (white flowerer and roses), stonefruits, honey, and stony mineral. Some wines are aged in new oak.
Palate: medium-to full-bodied and bone dry to dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus.

ID Keys: the combination of pronounced floral notes, ripe stone fruits, minerality, and a touch of bitterness on the finish. Some wines offer new oak aromas and flavors with more acidity and less alcohol than New World counterparts.

Conclusion: Rhone Valley, Condrieu.

Question 36

Pinot Grigio: Alto Adige

Answer 36

Sight: pale to medium straw with a touch of rose/copper.
Nose: tart apple, green pear, citrus, lees, straw, almond, and stone/mineral.
Palate: medium-bodied and bone dry to dry; tart apple/citrus, lees, and mineral notes with slight phenolic bitterness on the finish.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus.

ID Keys: most Pinot Grigios are relatively light and citrusy with tart fruit, almond, and mineral notes with phenolic bitterness.

Conclusion: Trentino Alto Adige
Question: Friuli?

Question 37

Pinot Gris: Alsace

Answer 37

Sight: deep straw to medium yellow with a hint of copper.
Nose: ripe, smoky yellow apple and melon with sweet and tart citrus, floral, honey, and dark earth-mineral.
Palate: medium-plus to full-bodied and dry to off-dry in style (some wines show noticeably residual sugar). Very ripe fruit with an earthy character; botrytis notes often found even on wines dry in style with considerable phenolic bitterness on the finish.
Structure: alcohol: medium-plus to high; acidity: medium to medium-plus.

ID Keys: full-bodied and off-dry with rich, smoky pear-melon fruit and earthiness. Many wines have residual sugar with a rich, palate-coating mouthfeel; the texture is often described as “oily.”

Question: AOC, Grand Cru? Dry, Slight RS?

Question 38

Albarino

Answer 38

Sight: pale to medium straw.
Nose: white peach, green pear, mandarin/orange, and lime-citrus with notes of floral, light herb, hops/Pilsner/lees, and wet stone minerality. Wood rarely used (barrica).
Palate: light to medium bodied and bone dry to dry.
Structure: alcohol: medium to medium-plus; acidity: medium-plus.

ID Keys: combination of peach, sweet citrus and herbal-citrusy character with aromas of flowers, beer/hops/lees, and mineral. Albariño is often describe as “Viognier nose and Riesling palate.”

Conclusion: Spain, Rias Baixas. No Wood Aging

Question 39

Torrentes: Argentina

Answer 39

Question: Salta/Catamarca or Mendoza?