Wine school

Last Thursday it was time for the first evening of wine school. First subject red wine. We talked about the most common grapes, their characteristics, where they are grown, the differences between the Old and New World and of course we tasted plenty of wine

Errázuriz Estate Pinot Noir 2009
Ruby red colour with purple highlights. Nose displays raspberries, cherries and hints of tobacco. Palate is rather crisp with blueberries, cherries and some oak. It's now the third time in so many weeks that I'm trying Pinot Noir and I'm starting to wonder if it's an acquired taste. The more I taste it the more I like it.

Château Bouscassé 2006
Red colour with hints of blue. Nose is filled blackberries, tobacco, white pepper and bay leaf. Palate is somewhat spicy and firm with again blackberries and bay leaf. Finish is almost rough with lots of tannins. A couple of more years in storage and this wine would suite my taste a lot better. Still too tannic for my liking.

Gestos Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Deep ruby red colour with deep-purple hues. A fine spicy well-developed nose of blackberries, chocolate and licorice. An intense palate of dark berries, chocolate and hints of coffee. An elegant and long finish. I'm not really a fan of Cabernet Sauvignon but is what I like. A lot of fruit and spice. The New World to a tee

Crozes-Hermitage (E. Guigal) 2006
Dark red colour. Nose of red fruits, strawberries and hints of oaks. Palate is structured with tannins, black current and vanilla. Somewhat tannic finish where oak is acting as a softener. Syrah is probably my favourite grape and this is old school wine from Rhone. Again I think it's bit of acquired taste. The more tannic wine you drink the more you like it.

Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2008
Intense red colour with purple hues. Nose of ripe blackberries, Christmas spices and hints of chocolate. Palate full of blackberries, raspberries and plums. Some chocolate as well. Lengthy finish with soft tannins. Oh boy, one sniff, one sip and I was sighing with delight. The Aussies know how to make a perfect Shiraz and this is as good as it gets.