WSET level 2 Flashcards
Pinot Noir oak flavors
Smoke, clove, vanilla (if any)
Pinot Noir tertiary flavors
Forrest floor
Mushroom
Pinot noir climate
Cool to moderate
Burgandy pinot noir
Moderate areas needed to ripen
Small climate changes affect flavors
South/south east facing slopes
French Pinot Noir locations
Burgandy
Cote D’ Or =
1. Cote de Nuit: Gevrey-CHambertin and Nuits-Saint-George
2. Cote de Beaune: Beaune and Pommard
Qualities of French Pinot Noirs
Burgogne AOC < Village < Premier and Grand Cru
Burgogne AOC
French Pinot Noir
Light to Med body
Tannin: *
Acid: ***
Fresh red fruit
Village Pinot Noir (vs Burgogne)
Better slopes, better drainage, complexity, length, intensity
Premier and Grand Cru Pinot Noir
South/south east slopes
Oak: Smoke, vanilla, clove
Tertiary: Forrest floor, mushroom
California Pinot Noir
Most too warm, need coast or costal breezes
Los Carneros
Sonoma
Santa Barbara
Ripe red fruit
Oak: smoke, clove, vanilla
Tertiary: forest floor, mushroom
Moderating influences for Los Carneros, Sonoma and Santa Barbara Pinot Noir
San Pablo Bay (Los Carneros)
Pacific ocean (Sonoma and Santa Barbara)
Oregon Pinot Noir (best versions?)
Best wines are like Beaune
Chile Pinot Noir (location, moderating influences, flavors, value)
Casablanca valley (north of santiago)
Pacific ocean (moderating influences)
Red fruit, occasionally herbacous
Good value for money
South Africa Pinot Noir (location, moderating influence)
Walker bay
South sea breeze
Australia Pinot Noir (most, location, moderating influences, fruit, tannin level)
Most too warm
Yarra Valley and Morningstar Penninsula
Southern Ocean
Light to cooked red fruit
Tannin: **
New Zealand Pinot Noir (locations, fruit, body, tannin, oak?)
Martinborough, Marlborough, Central otago
Red fruit
Medium to full body
Tannin: **
Some in oak (often)
Zinfandel/Primativo climate
Warm
What happens to zinfandel flavors with ripening?
Red to black fruit
USA Zinfandel - how is white made?
Removing yeast
USA Zinfandel: red (oak?, flavors, acid, tannin, etoh, body, tertiary)
Red and black fruit, dried fruit
Acid: ** to **
Tannin: ** to **
Alcohol: **
Body: **
Oak: softens tannins, add flavors: vanilla, coffee
Tertiary: earth, meat
Italian Zinfandel/Primitivo (flavor, volume, value)
Soft and fruity
High volume
Good value for money
Riesling climate
Cool to moderate
What is Riesling susceptible to
Noble rot
Riesling just ripe versus ripe flavors
Just ripe: green, citrus, floral
Ripe: stone, tropical, dried
Rilsing (sweetness, harvest late, sussreserve, tertiary)
All sweetness
Can harvest late (secondary to high acid content)
Sussreserve = unfermented grape juice
Tertiary: honey, petrol
Mosel (location, grape, versus other country/grape areas, sweetness, best slopes, river, soil)
Germany Reisling
Lighter flavors (more north)
Sweetness: **
Best slopes: south or southwest
Banks of mosel river
Stony Soils
Rheingau (location/grape, slopes, location, versus mosel - sweetness and body)
German Reisling
South slopes = best, steep slopes
North bank of Rhine river
Drier than mosel, more body
Pfalz (location/grape, extension, protection, sweetness, body)
German Riesling
Extension of Alsace
Protected by mountains on west
Dry wine
Body: **
Alsace (location/grape, location, best slopes, flavors, body, acidity, best lable)
French Riesling
East of Voseges mountains
Best: east and south east slopes
Ripe citrus, stone
Body: **
Acidity: ***
“Grand Cru” = best
Eden and Clare Valley (location/grape, moderating influence, flavors)
Australia Riesling
High altitude
Lemon, lime, occasionally petrol
Landwein (body, sweetness)
German Riesling
Body: *
Sweetness: dry to off dry
Qualitaswein
German Riesling
13 regions
Praditatswein
German Riesling
Single wine growing area (Kabinett, Spatlese, auslese, eiswein, BA and TBA)
Kabinet flavors
German Riesling
Green, citrus, floral
Spatlese (meaning, flavors, vs kabinett)
German Riesling
Late harvest
Citrus, stone
Riper than Kabinett
Aulese (meaning, flavors, sweetness)
German Riesling
Selected harvest
stone, tropical, dried fruit
Can be troken or have some sweetness
Eiswein (noble rot, flavors, annually done)
German Riesling
No noble rot
Stone and tropical fruit
Not made every year
BA (meaning, noble rot, flavors - primary and tertiary)
German Riesling
Selected berry harvest
Noble rot
Fresh stone and tropical
Tertiary: dried fruit and honey
TBA (meaning, noble rot, flavors compared to BA)
German Riesling
Selected dried berry harvest
Noble rot
More intense than BA (stone and tropical, dried fruit and honey)
Chenin Blanc (versitility, climate, flavors, noble rot, sweetness, oaked, acidity)
Versatile
All climates and sweetness levels
Green, citrus, tropical, stone
Oakes or not
Noble rot
Acidity: ***
Vouvray (location/grape, location, sparking?, flavors, sweetness, rot, oaked, tertiary
French Chenin Blanc
Loire Valley
Sparkling possible
Fresh apple
All sweetness levels
Noble rot ( extra ripe stone or tropical fruits)
Unoaked
Tertiary: honey, dried fruit
Western Cape (location, volume, location, sweetness, body, flavors, oak, age of vines, blends)
South Africa Chenin Blanc
High volume
Warmer inland
Dry sweetness
Body: **
Peach, pineapple
Oak chips/staves: vanilla
Old vines: tropical, smoke, vanilla
Some blends (ex: Viognier adds flora)
Semillon/Semillon (climate, flavors, what changes with ripeness, tertiary)
Moderate to warm climate
Simple apple, lemon, grass
Acid and body change with ripeness
Acid: ** to **
Body: * to **
Tertiary: dried fruit, nuts honey
Bordeaux white (location, grape, blend, sweetness, example)
French semillon
Blend with sauv blanc
Gives body and aging potential to sauv blanc
Dry and sweet
Ex: Sauternes
Sauternes (location/grape, rob, alcohol, body, acidity, flavors, oak, tertiary)
French semillon
Noble rot
Alcohol: ** to **
Body: **
Acidity: ***
Stone fruit
Oak: smoke and vanilla
Tertiary: dried fruit, honey, caramel
Hunter valley (location/grape, single/blend, body, alcohol, climate, time of harvest, oak, tertiary)
Australian semillon
dry
Single varietal
Body: *
Alcohol: *
Warm climate
Early harvest
Inert vessels
Tertiary: honey, nut
Australia semillon blends and rot
Blend with sauv blanc
Susceptible to noble rot
Barossa Valley (location/grape, compares to hunter valley, body, oak)
Australian semillon
Can be like hunter valley or can have full body and oaked
Tokaj (location/grape, flavors, oak, acid, finish)
Hungarian Furmint
Citrus and stone fruit
Acid: **
Finish: **
Oak: vanilla and smoke
Cool climate chardonnay (acid, body, flavors)
Acid: ***
Body: * to **
Green, citrus, wet stone
Moderate climate chardonnay (acid, body, flavors)
Acid: ** to **
Body: ** to **
Lemon, stone, and tropical fruits
Warm climate chardonnay (acid, body, flavors)
Acid: **
Body: ***
Stone and tropical fruits
5 ways to change chardonnay flavor and flavors imparted?
Acidification: adds acid to warm climate chardonnay
Malolactic: butter, cream
Lees: bread, biscuit
Oak: smoke, vanilla, coconut
Tertiary: hazelnut and mushroom
Burgogne AOC (location/grape, climate, flavors, acidity)
Burgandy Chardonnay
Cool climate
Acid: ***
Apple, lemon
Chablis (location/grape, climate, body, acidy, flavor, slopes best, issue, oak?)
Burgandy chardonnay
Village
Cool climate
Body: * to **
Acid: ***
Apple, lemon, wet stone
South/southwest facing slopes = premier cru and grand cru
Frost issue
No oak
Cote d’ Or white (location/grape, compared to chablis, areas, oak, lees, tertiary, special)
Burgandy Chardonnay
Riper than chablis (stone fruit and melon)
Cote de’ eaune = south of beaune = Mesault, Puligny-Montrachest
Oak and lees
hazelnut and mushroom
Pinnacle of chardonnay
Mersault and Puligny-Monchtrachest location and grape
Burgandy chardonnay
Maconnais (flavors, best, oak)
Burgandy chardonnay
“Macon”
Lemon, peach, melon (simple)
South and south east slopes = Pouilly-Fuisse (stone and tropical fruit)
Oaked
Pouilly-Fuisse (location/grape, quality, flavor)
South and south east facing slopes in Burgandy in Maconnais
Higher quality
Stone and tropical fruits
Languedoc-Roussilon white (location, nape, climate, volume, flavor, types of oak)
Mediterranean coast (south france) chardonnay
“Pays d’ Oc IGP”
Warm climate
High volume
Peach, pineapple, banana
Oak stave
California central valley chardonnay (locations and qualities, falvors)
All qualities and high volumes in central valley
Peach, pineapple
Acid: **
Oak Staves or chips
Los Carneros, Sonoma and Napa chardonnay (body, flavor, oak)
Body: ***
Tropical
Vanilla, spice
Santa Barbara chardonnay (style, flavor, alcohol, oak)
Like Cote De Beaune
More tropical
Alcohol: ***
New oak
Oregon chardonnay (acid, flavors)
Acid: ***
Citrus to tropical (ex: melon)
South East Australian Chardonnay (volume, water, blend, locations)
High volume
Irrigated inland (like CA)
Blend with others (ex: semillon)
Adelaide hills
Yarra valley
Adalaide hills white (location/grape, moderating influence)
Australian chardonnay
Moderating influence: altitude
Yarra valley white (location/grape, moderating influence, flavor, acid, oak)
Australian chardonnay
Moderating influnce: ocean
Ripe stone fruit, occasional tropical fruit
Acid: ** to ***
Careful use of oak
Margaret river white (location/grape, quality, volume, moderating influence, body, flavors, vs south part of country)
Australian Chardonnay (western australia)
High quality
Lower volume and more body than South East australia
Moderating influence: sea breeze
Body: ** to ***
Ripe stone fruit and tropical
Marlborough white (location/grape, moderating influence, flavors, oak)
New Zealand Chardonnay
Moderating influence: ocean, rain
Ripe lemon, peach, melon
Acid: ***
Oak: subtle
Hawkes bay white (location/grape, acid, flavor)
New Zealand Chardonnay
Body: **
Acid: **
Stone fruit
Casablanca white (moderating influences, flavors, oak)
Chile chardonnay
Moderating influences: pacific ocean, morning fog
Refreshing citrus, stone fruit
Varying oak
Central valley Chile white
Chile chardonnay
Varies (some have altitude)
Western cape white (location/grape, volume, blend)
South Africa Chardonnay
Inland
High volume
Blends (ex: Chenin blanc)
Walker bay white (location/grape, moderating influence, acid, flavors, oak)
South Africa Chardonnay
Moderating influence: coastal/sea breeze
Acid: ***
Stone fruit, tropical
Oak
Sauvignon Blanc (acid, climate, flavors, body, single/blend, oak)
Dry white
Herbacous: green bell pepper
Acid: ***
Cool to moderate climate
Unaoked (if oaked = “barrel aged”)
Green/citrus/wet stone to stone fruit/tropical (pending ripeness)
Single or blend (ex: with semillon)
Loire Valley Sauv Blanc (locations, climate, flavors)
Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume (face eachother across loire river)
Cool climate
Green/citrus/wet stone
Tourraine white (location/grape, location, cost)
Loire valley sauv blanc - west of sancerre and poilly-fume
Fruity and inexpensive
Bordeaux sauv blanc (flavors, single/blend, locations, oak, tertiary)
Grass/green apple
SIngle or blend with semillon
Graves and pessac-leognan (high quality), blend with semillon,
Oak
Honey and nuts
Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume white (location/grape)
Loire Valley sauv blanc
Graves or Pessac-Leognan white (location/grape)
Bordeaux Sauv Blanc
Languedoc-Poussillon sauv blanc (climate, moderating influence, acid, flavor, name)
Moderate to warm climate
Altitude areas: dry, acid: ***, tropical/herbaceous
“Pays d’ Oc IGP”
Marlborough white (location, vs Loire valley, blend, flavor, expeirementaion)
New Zealand Sauv Blanc
More pronounced than Loire Valley
Blend of sites of varying ripeness
Broad range of flavors (include green bell pepper, asparagus and pepper)
Some experimentation (cool like Loire versus oak and lees for complexity and body)
Margaret River and Adelaide hills sauv blanc
Margaret river: blend with semillon, concentrated herb, sometimes oak
Adelaide hills: altitude, fresh, broad flavor, blend with semillon (adds body and agiing)
Casablanca and Central valley sauv blanc
Chile
Casablanca: sea/southern ocean/fog, high quality
Central valley: range of quality
Constantia white
South Africa Sauv blanc
Sea/southern ocean
South of cape town
Refreshing, tropical, herbacous
Eligin white
South Africa Sauv Blanc
Coolest wine region in south africa
Altitude
Green fruit and wet stone
USA Sauv blanc
Most too warm
Napa: smoke from oak
Pinot Grigio
Cool to moderate climate
Early harvest: dry, light body, acid: ** to **, simple pear/lemon
Delayed/controlled harvest: high sugar, less acid, complex, body: **, acid: **, lemon, stone fruit, tropical
Inert: can remove yeast
Tertiary: ginger and honey
Italian Pinot Grigio
Simple
no oak
body: *
Veneto
Italian pinot grigio
north eeast
High volume
Delle Venezie DOC or Veneto IGT
Fruili-Venezia Giulia
Italian Pinot Girgio
Increased body and complexity when compared to veneto pinot grigio
Alsace
French pinot gris
Later in season
Dry to med sweet
Body: ** to ***
Peach/mango
Tertiary: ginger, honey
Grand cru: south/south east
Foothills of voseges mountains
Which grapes can be VT?
Pinot Gris
Gewertztaminer
Riesling
Gewurztraminer
Body: ***
Floral
Cool to moderate climate
Acid: * to **
Dry to sweet
Can accumulate high sugar with ripening
Floral, stone fruit, tropical
No oak (to preserve floral notes)
Tertiary: honey and dried fruit
Alsace
Pinot Gris and Gewurtraminer
Viognier
Moderate climate
Acid: * to **
Alcohol: **
Body: ** to **
Inert (occ oak)
Condrieu
Northern Rhone Viognier
Light oak: vanilla
Albarino
Northwest spain
Moderating influence: Altantic ocean (cooler and wetter than most Spain)
Acid: ***
Body: **
Citrus and stone fruit
No oac
Occasional lees (for body and complexity)
Merlot
Moderate to warm climate
Acid: **
Tannin: **
Just ripe: red fruit, herbal, body: * to **
Riper: cooked black fruit (warm or later in moderate climate), body: ** to ***
Some oak (esp riper)
Tertiary: dried fruit, tobacco
Bordeaux Merlot
Atlantic, rain
Blends
Garonne and Dordogne rivers meet at Gironde Esturary
Left bank = cav sauv. west and south of esturary (Haut medoc, margeaux, pauillac; graves: pessac Leognan, sauternes)
Right bank = merlot, north and east of esturary = saint emillion AOC and grand cru, pomerol
Languedoc-Rousillon Merlot
South east france
“Pays d’Oc IGP”
Blend with cab sauv, grenache and syrah
California Merlot
Fruity, med body
Oak: vanilla, coconut, smoke
New vs chips/staves
Napa and Sonoma Merlot
More concentrated than “california” merlot, full body
Oak: vanilla, coconut, smoke
New vs chips/staves
Central valley merlot
Chile
Warm and dry
high volume
soft
Body: **
Some altitude = fresher fruit flavors
Stellenboch
South Africa Merlot
Complex
Age worthy
Mountains/sea
Moderate to warm climate
Margaret river
Australia Merlot
Blend with cab sauv
High quality
Hawkes Bay
NZ Merlot
Moderate climate
rain
Light and fruity to full body/age worthy
Single or blend with cab sauv
Cabernet Sauvignion
Moderate to warm climate (can struggle)
Long warm growing season
Deep colo
Dry
Acid: **
Tannin: **
Body: ** to ***
Black fruit, herbal/mint, herbacous/green bell pepper
Cooked in warm climate
Blends soften the tannins and acidity
May need months to years in oak barrels to soften tannins to to drinkable level
New oak: smoke, vanilla, cloves, cedar
Tertiary: dried fruit, earth, forest floor
