TN: 2002 Wirra Wirra Church Block

[n4sir]

2002 Wirra Wirra Church Block McLaren Vale Cabernet Shiraz Merlot (screwcap): Dark to inky crimson. Earthy plums/cherries and milk chocolate, then heavy fireplace/charred brick characters on the nose – still signs of being a little reductive four years from release; this blows off to reveal cloves and leather, then blackcurrants, mint and cigar box. Soft palate with dark, earthy cherries, then more meaty/leathery characters with breathing, not particularly big or long but good drinking right now. This matched my bolognese pretty well, and my last one will be drunk very soon with something similar.

Cheers,
Ian

[dazza1968]

Had this at my wedding as a bottle 1/2 bottle to take home so good to hear its going well

[Leigh]

Howdy Ian,

Firstly, what a sensational review of the 2002 Church block!!. I personally think it is a great bang for your buck wine and is a great wine to recommend for all beginners of red wine. I only opened a 2005 2 weeks ago which was fantastic!

Secondly, out of interest how do you get to develop such a refined nose and palate to smell Earthy plums/fireplace on the nose followed by meaty/leathery characters on the palate.

I am a lover of great wine and I have developed a taste for excellent wine, however I am still learning the art of smell/taste.

After several years of drinking great wine I am now in a position to distinguish between a great wine and a bad wine, however I am fasinated with how people are able to find flavours/smells from a wine. I read a review the other day which described the nose as having the smell of an 'armpit'. Interesting!!!

Cheers
Leigh

[Wayno]

Yep, I had a Chablis that smelt a bit like that the other night. Wasn't hard at all - in fact it was obvious to most of us.

[n4sir]

Howdy Ian,

Firstly, what a sensational review of the 2002 Church block!!. I personally think it is a great bang for your buck wine and is a great wine to recommend for all beginners of red wine. I only opened a 2005 2 weeks ago which was fantastic!

Secondly, out of interest how do you get to develop such a refined nose and palate to smell Earthy plums/fireplace on the nose followed by meaty/leathery characters on the palate.

I am a lover of great wine and I have developed a taste for excellent wine, however I am still learning the art of smell/taste.

After several years of drinking great wine I am now in a position to distinguish between a great wine and a bad wine, however I am fascinated with how people are able to find flavours/smells from a wine. I read a review the other day which described the nose as having the smell of an 'armpit'. Interesting!!!

Cheers
Leigh

Hi Leigh,

Sorry it's taken a little while to get around to this - it's a bit of a hard one to answer without sounding like a tool, snob, wank... (insert insult here)

In my particular case (I should really get around to doing my profile in the 'Who am I" section one day ) I haven't attended any wine courses, done any specific training, or been involved in the industry. I consume/try wine often, read up on it, and openly discuss it with people in person and online (in and out of the industry).

I'd like to say it's a simple as that - try, feel, then discuss and speak your mind, but also let others say their opinions, then go back to the wine and see if you can get what they see in it. With enough spare time (too much, or just an obsession?) you think of things like structure and length: how does it feel across the mouth - is it powdery, gravelly, velvety, or silky? Does it come in a rush and disappear, or crawl across the tongue, up the sides of the cheeks, maybe with a nutty/sweet rebound that comes out of nowhere?

Background and experiences does help (like home-grown and or/cooked foods), but the main thing is to think about what you're trying and then express what you pick up honestly without any inhibitions. What other people may say can then influence what you think, but it still all comes down to what you think and feel about what you're drinking - don't be afraid to say it, because someone is listening/reading, and quite possibly thinking the same thing. Or if they think the opposite, maybe you can backtrack and see if you can get where they're coming from.

It all comes down to personal taste, but that's the rather special thing about wine - it's a universal thing we can share and discuss from each other's point of view.

Cheers,
Ian

[Leigh]

Cheers Ian, Thanks for the advice