I know that the tasting portion of the D3 WSET Diploma Exam can be one of the most intimidating. Indeed, when I took my Level 3, my nerves overtook my tastebuds, and I found myself second guessing my tasting notes the whole time. To help me gain more skill and confidence in those skills, I’ve been taking some tasting classes geared toward WSET Diploma with a Master in Wine in preparation for my exam. And I recently had my partner help me with a blind tasting mock exam, which I’d like to share here.
The goal is to help those of us who are preparing the WSET exams key in on wine evaluation (following the SAT guidelines) as well as how to correctly draw conclusions about the wines tasted and communicate the justification for those conclusions.
Following the WSET taste testing format:
Wines 1–3 relate to Unit D3 of the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines All are made from the same region.
Describe them under the headings below.
Follow along on my tasting notes and see if you can figure out what the common region of origin is. Note: This exam also, for two points, asks examiners to determine the grape variety (but not qualify that determination). I’ve included my deduction in each tasting note below. However, I’ll leave the wine reveals to the very end of the post. Good luck and have fun!
WINE 1
Appearance: Pale Ruby
Nose: medium level of aromas of rose, baby’s breath, dusty/dried earth, strawberry, baking spice, hint vanilla, hint charred wood, coriander, raspberry, red cherry, pomegranate
Palate: dry, high acid, medium tannins (stalky/green), medium alcohol, medium body, medium level of intensity on the palate—rose, baby’s breath, dusty/dried earth, strawberry, baking spice, vanilla, charred wood, coriander, raspberry, red cherry, pomegranate
Finish is medium
Assessment of quality: (6 marks) This is a good wine with a good balance of primary characteristics of fruit (strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, red cherry) and florals (rose, baby’s breath) as well as secondary aromas (charred wood, coriander, vanilla) which clearly come from oak usage, adding some level of complexity to the wine. The use of oak is well-integrated and complement the primary fruits well. The medium amount of tannins do not overwhelm the palate nor the fresh fruit or florals, however there are a bit green and stalking in nature. I found that the intensity of aromas and flavors were at a somewhat muted medium—the wine lacked intensity and, similarly, so did the finish. As such, I cannot rate this wine any higher than good in quality.
Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks) I do not think that this wine is suitable for extended bottle aging. While it could survive three to five years, I think extended aging would make for an imbalanced wine. The flavors are very subtle in nature and will only become more subdued over time.
Identify the predominant grape variety/ies: (2 marks) Pinot Noir
WINE 2
Appearance: Pale Ruby
Nose: medium (+) aromas of black cherry, pomegranate, boysenberry, charred wood, hint chocolate, baking spices (nutmeg, clove), flint, rose, plum, hint tobacco
Palate: dry, medium (+) acid, medium tannins (mature, course), medium alcohol, medium body, medium (+) intensity of flavors black cherry, pomegranate, boysenberry, charred wood, chocolate, nutmeg, clove, flint, rose, plum, tobacco
Finish is long
Assessment of quality: (6 marks) This is a very good wine that balances well the judicious use of oak as indicated by the aromas/flavors of charred wood and baking spices that complement the primary characteristics of red and black fruits as well as those earthy aromas such as rose and that flinty kind of minerality. The medium level of tannins are fully mature, though a bit course in nature, something that, with time, I believe will become even more well-integrated into the wine. The medium level of alcohol does not overwhelm the palate, but adds just enough lift to the body of the wine. I also perceive just a hint of dried tobacco that, to me, indicates that this wine is already showing some tertiary characteristics and will develop more with more time. I found that the aromas and flavors showed a good level of intensity on both the nose and the palate, and the finish was quite long, combining both the primary and secondary notes throughout the length and leaving the breath with just that hint of dried tobacco like a teaser of things to come. I am marking this wine as very good because, while the wine shows intensity, complexity, and provides a long finish, I think, at the moment, the tannins overwhelm the texture just a bit, but do believe this will be relieved with time. So, with that in mind, I could not rate this wine as outstanding, but have concluded it is of very good quality with the potential to become outstanding in the future.
Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks) As stated above, I do believe this wine is suitable for aging. It has the right amount of acid, tannin, and alcohol to structurally lend to longevity. The fruits are ‘just ripe’ in nature and, thus can develop into their jammy/cooked forms with time. And, as reiterated, the tannins will soften, provide a smoother texture.
Identify the predominant grape variety/ies: (2 marks) Pinot Noir
WINE 3
Appearance: Pale ruby
Nose: medium (+) intensity of red cherry, vanilla, strawberry, rose, hint smoke/toast, pomegranate, raspberry, earth, charred wood, hint coffee, hint leather
Palate: dry, high acid, medium tannins, medium body (chalky), medium alcohol, medium (+) intensity of flavor—red cherry, vanilla, strawberry, rose, smoke, toast, pomegranate, raspberry, earth, charred wood, coffee, leather
Finish is medium (+) length
Assessment of quality: (6 marks) This is a very good wine with a good balance of primary aromas/flavors (red cherry, strawberry, pomegranate, raspberry, rose). Dominating red fruits are nicely complemented with oak integration as noted by the charred wood, smoke/toast, and subtle coffee-like note. There’s also a kind of earthy aroma, almost like a dry sandy-earthiness, which I believe is indicative of terroir expression. With these notes in mind, this wine has depth of flavor, and levels of complexity. I’m also getting just a touch of leather in the back-breath, which to me shows that the wine is hinting at its ability to develop further with time. Aromas and flavors have a good level of intensity that carry through to the finish, however the wine did fall short of a long finish for me, at medium (+), and thus I could not rate the wine as out standing, but it is of very good quality.
Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks) I do believe this wine is suitable for aging. It has the right amount of acid, tannin, and alcohol to structurally lend to longevity. The primary fruits are intense enough to withstand the test of time and the nature of them are such that they have the potential to develop into their cooked/stewed expressions. The tannins are chalky now, and I believe they will smooth with time. And, as stated, I perceived a hint of tertiary notes on the palate, a hint of things to come.
Identify the predominant grape variety/ies: (2 marks) Pinot Noir
REVEAL
WINES 1-3
Identify the common region: (5 marks) Give reasons for your choice: (5 marks)
I believe that all three of these wines are Pinot Noir from the Burgundy region of France. The medium (+) to high acidity, is indicative of a cool climate, as are the ‘just ripe’ nature of the fruits perceived in the wine—they maintain a freshness of fruit that has just matured (not cooked/jammy/stewed). Burgundy has a cool, continental climate.
There are different levels of oak usage here, which is indicative of the winemaking style of Burgundy. While some choose to use less new oak and/or lighter toasted barrels, as I believe wine 1 has experienced, others—usually more prestigious producers—choose to integrate more new oak into their wines like wines 2 and 3.
Finally, I found a kind of ‘earthy’ quality to each of these wines. Burgundian winemakers are very keen to highlight their terroir, often doing so by the utilization of ambient yeast. The grassy cardamom of wine 1, the flinty note of wine 2, and the sandy earthiness of wine 3, showed this kind of expression.
Wine 1: Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin Champs Chenys (375ML half-bottle) 2016
Wine 2: Joseph Drouhin Chorey Les Beaune 2017
Wine 3: Danjean-Berthoux Givry Clos du Cras Long Premier Cru Rouge 2016
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