Sometimes I read reviews and tasting notes of wines and think … huh? I find this comes from a variety of different places. I’ve never been trained as a sommelier and there are things I have just never tasted. So when I read it tastes like passion fruit and I have never had a passion fruit I can’t relate. I bet you are thinking I am digressing, but actually … I am going somewhere with this … I am not a smoker. So sometimes when I read a description and it says it tastes like tobacco or cigar I have no idea what they are talking about. A while back I tried a cigar just to get the flavor. I wonder if at some point I need to sit down with a cornucopia of different flavors and aquaint myself with some of the things the reviewers mention.
Ok onto the tasting, the wine is deep in color. On the nose there are some of that Italian like, dried fruit flavors. On the mid pallet they are there again, some raisin like flavor and then on the finish, there it is … some tobacco/cigar flavors! Woohoo I actually made a connection! There are some tannins and some nice dryness to the wine. It is on the higher side of medium on the finish. If I had to give it a number I would say 88 or so.
From the LCBO Web site:
MAS ESTELA QUINDALS 2005 DO Emporda Our Quality Assurance Laboratory has determined that this wine contains 6 mg/L of free sulphur. TASTING NOTE: The 2005 Quindals is 90% Garnacha 5% Syrah and 5% Carinena aged for 12 months in French oak. Deep crimson-colored it presents an alluring perfume of toasty oak pencil lead mineral violets black cherry and blueberry. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied wine with layers of sweet fruit excellent depth and concentration spicy flavors and a pure finish. It will unfold for another 2-3 years and drink well through 2020. Score – 90+. (Jay Miller www.erobertparker.com Feb. 2008) 133033 $19.95
Here’s an interesting point, did you know that only organic wines get tested for sulfur? Sulfur can be naturally occurring in the wine and it can also be added to the wine. Some wine makers add sulfur dioxide to keep the wine from browning (an anti oxidant).
