If you read my last post, I mentioned that I’m going to start pulling directly from my WSET wine notes notebook for some of my reviews. Some of these wines (like the wines below) were specifically requested by my course. (Again, we are meant to try a variety of quality levels in order to gain a better understanding of how to gauge different wine tiers.) These reviews are quick, fairly succinct, but include an explanation as to my reasoning behind any conclusions I’ve determined. I, of course, welcome any feedback from those who have gone through the program. Cheers.
About the Wine: 19 Crimes 2017 The Warden
Shiraz, South East Australia, AU
14.5% ABV
Price: $19.99 (wine.com)
Appearance: Deep ruby
Nose: medium intensity of prune, raisin, blackberry, bramble, dried wood, dried flowers/potpourri, tobacco, toast/smoke, menthol
Palate: The palate is dry with medium acid, high alcohol, medium (+) tannin, medium (+) body, and a medium level of flavor intensity. The palate (uninterestingly) mimicked those characteristics sensed on the nose (prune, raisin, blackberry, bramble, dried wood, dried flowers/potpourri, tobacco, toast/smoke) and also added to that profile a hint of chocolate as well as white pepper.
The finish was medium (-)
Assessment of quality: I concluded that this wine was acceptable. There is certainly not enough aromatic or flavor intensity in this wine. And while there was certainly oak integration, which added an element of complexity, I found that the oak integration was off-balance: it overwhelmed any element of fruit flavors the wine may have had. The wine is only 3 years old and should still have an element of fruit—even if cooked or jammy, as would be the case in a warmer region like SEA. Instead, the tannins from the wood coated the palate and masked those fruits. Finally, the wine did not have a lengthy finish, falling off at medium (+).
I’m also going to add that, due to the two-dimensional nature of the wine, I am calling this a simple wine as well.
Suitability for bottle ageing: This wine is not suitable for long-term aging. There are not enough fresh fruit characteristics nor acidity to lend longevity to the wine.
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**Please note: all reviews and opinions are my own and are not associated with any of my places of business. I will always state when a wine has been sent as a sample for review. Sending samples for review on my personal website in no way guarantees coverage in any other media outlet I may be currently associated with.**
