Wine - Grapes - Tasting Notes Flashcards
Chardonnay - unoaked
light, tart apple, lemon, (sometimes) pear
Chardonnay - lightly oaked
melting butter, baked apple, nutmeg, oatmeal
Chardonnay - heavily oaked
vanilla, lemon curd, butterscotch, praline, bacon fat, woodsmoke
Cabernet Sauvignon - warmer climate
purple-skinned fruits, black currants, black plumbs, brambles, damsons; often with a note of fresh mint or even eucalyptus
Cabernet Sauvignon - cooler climates
chopped green peppers, whiff of bitterness
Cabernet Sauvignon - oaked
mineral austerity, cigar boxes, cedarwood, pencil shavings
Cabernet Sauvignon - well aged
aromas of well-hung game, plum tomatoes, warm leather, dark chocolate, soft indian spices like cardamom; preserved fruit
Sauvignon Blanc
fruit (anywhere from gooseberry, tart apple, or pear to passion fruit or mango), nose of black currants; vegetal flavors (green peas, asparagus, sweet red bell peppers)
Sauvignon Blanc - cool climate
pungent animal quality such as cat’s pee or male sweat; acrid smoke
Pinot Noir - young
light aromas of red fruits, typically raspberry, strawberry, redcurrant, and cherry; beef stock
Pinot Noir - some regions in California and Australia
faint note of coffee bean or mocha
Pinot Noir - aged
well hung game, black truffle, barnyard
Semillon - dry
lime peel, exotic honey, sometimes gooseberry; often with hard mineral purity, slightly metallic
Semillon - Hunter Valley
deceptive woodiness even when unoaked, turning to burnt toast with age
Semillon - sweet
exotic fruit, overripe peach or apricot, barley-sugar, honey, allied to a vanilla custard, creme brulee richness from oak aging.
Semillon - Australian sweet
can have emphatically medicinal tinge to it
Syrah
can smell of almost any dark purple fruit - blackberries, black currants, black cherries, plums; exotic flavors like licorice, ginger, dark chocolate, often with distinct floral notes (like violets)
Syrah - Northern Rhone
freshly ground black pepper
Syrah - South Australian
often includes a cool topnote of mint
Syrah - aged
gaminess (like an old Pinot Noir)
Riesling
nearly always smells of lime (bitter zests or fresh juice); riper varieties will also include softer fruit such as peaches or apricot and a gentle floral aroma
Riesling - Alsace
austere mineral quality; texture of sharpened steel on the palate
Riesling - aged (and sometimes young Australians)
scent of gasoline
Merlot
soft purple fruits (blackberries, black plums); may have hint of dried fruits