There is also the trend of writing very loooong tasting notes. These are the equivalent of talking without taking a breath. :) Too many words for my simple brain.
Some recent examples:
Tasted by XXXX on 2/2/2010: Assemblage; 40% Chardonnay/40% Pinot Meunier/20% Pinot Noir
Color; light to medium hay/straw,yellowish-goldish, greenish notes
Aromas;Immediately, alot of chalkiness/minerality, followed by notes of red/green apples, hints of baked apple,
notes of peaches/orchard fruit, citrus/orange zest, pear, and plum skin notes, with hints of toasty, nutty, smokiness
Palate; Wow! Bright/vibrant/zesty; green apples, asian pears, slight lime/lemon/citrus notes, hints of peaches & apricots,
hints of caramel/carmelized brown sugar/spices, ginger, nutty/toasty notes
Mid-Palate; green apples, asian pears, red/green apple skins, peaches/apricots, with notes of vanilla,
alot of smokiness, nuttines/toastiness
Finish; Smokey/chalky/minerally; Vibrant acidity; green/red apples, pears/peaches, with alot of nutty, spice, ginger notes -
Really impressive Champagne!
and
Tasted by XXX on 2/6/2010 & rated 90 points: Gorgeous dark jamminess in the glass. On the nose, this wine is definitely young and tight. A lot of alcohol is prevalent on the nose, but I don't think this wine has been in the bottle all that long. Some jammy raspberry, currants, and dark cherry shine through, but the alcohol overwhelms all of this. Secondary nuances of vanilla and caramel that I attribute to the oak come through as well. On the palate, there is some nice raspberry jam, a bit of strawberry, and black fruit. This is a tannic monster right now, so a double decant was necessary through the Vinturi, and then through another aeratng funnel. Plenty of jam on the palate, but again, the alcohol, oak, an tannins cover up the fruit. After a glass each, we are heading out to brave the storm and walk into town to one of the local watering holes. I left the decanter in the kitchen next to the cold window, and don't feel that this needs to be vacuumed and put into the cellar, but we'll see. On day two, after a 18 hour decant, this wine has evolved very nicely. The alcohol and tannins have definitely settled and integrated, and the fruit is finally the star on the nose. The same raspberry and currants shine through, with some blueberry and blackberry. The oak has mellow, but is still showing nice caramel and vanilla tones, and there are secondary characteristics of grilled meats, and smoke. On the palate, the tannins and alcohol integrated very nicely, but a bit of the thick jamminess is gone. The same fruit profile is there, and this is drinking very easily. All in all, i would hold this wine for at least another year, or give it a 4-6 hour decant before drinking. All in all, a nice zin from Chateau Montelena, and we'll have to search this one out again. 90 points. |