Vines of Mendoza – Part 3 – The Aroma Sensory Tasting

We are jumping ahead in the calendar for part 3 of The Vines of Mendoza as our 3rd visit didn’t happen until a week later. But since the 3rd visit was so informative and such a rich experience, I wanted to share it with you now in order to give you a better glimpse of what a rich resource this wine bar is.

On Monday, April 21, Tara and I were back in Mendoza after 4 or 5 days in the province of San Juan (north of Mendoza). On Monday night, Tara headed back to Buenos Aires and back home to Switzerland and I headed back to Neuquén and home to Sarah and our life in Patagonia. After a few days of traveling, Monday was one of those rest days and I spent most of it reading a book. Tara went to see one last bodega, Escorihuela, which is located close to the heart of the city of Mendoza. That afternoon, Tara sponsored a wine tasting back at The Vines of Mendoza.

The Aroma Sensory Tasting is just 3 wines, but in addition to the 3 wine glasses there are 13 small sniffer glasses filled with the various aromas that are typically found in Argentine wine. They included: pear, grapefruit, honey, strawberry, raisin, prune, red pepper, cheese, earth, coffee, chocolate, tobacco, pepper (black) and mushrooms (dry). Pablo was our guide through the wines and aromas and he provided a brief, yet in-depth overview of what to know and look for when tasting wines.

Below are the notes from this sensory tasting. It was an experience that I would repeat and would highly recommend to anyone who wants to know more about wine. While it may look hokey sticking your nose into a glass filled with honey and taking a big whiff, it helped me learn to be aware of honey overtones in white wines. The same goes for all of the aromas. Two of the most surprising aromas were tobacco and prunes. I never would have thought that those flavors would be found in Malbecs, but they oftentimes are.


General notes from the aroma tasting:

Aromas are the smells of the grape, the fermentation (maturation) process and the aging process. Too much heat equals a loss of aroma for the wine. This is why temperature control is so important throughout the wine making process. If the wine gets too hot the taste is usually too sharp, and a wine that is too cold usually takes away the aromas of the wine.

Both white and red wines are a structure and balance of acids, sugars and alcohol. Reds have an additional dimension with tannins. A bouquet has a wide range of aromas that make up its structure and the goal (of winemakers) is to have a balanced bouquet structure.

Acid - if it is too high will make a wine sharp.
Sugar - if it is too high will make it round, thick and sharp.
Alcohol - if it is too high will make it hard.
Tannin - if it is too high will make it rough (Reds only).

It is best to count to 10 after tasting a wine in order to best measure the taste.

For Whites:

Malic acid is a green apple acid you taste and feel with white wines, and you feel it on the side and back of the mouth. Sharp whites are grapes that have been picked early.

To get fruity wine the winemakers have to get the juice cold first and ferment later. Whites have a shorter fermentation process. Whites are greener in color when they are young. The older they are the more vibrant their colors get and the less fruity the taste of the wine becomes.

Whites are not meant to be kept for a long time. You typically want to drink whites when they are younger.

For Reds:

Malolactic fermentation is the process that transforms malic acid into lactic acid. It provides more chemical stability to the wine. The resulting lactic acids create aromas that are more buttery and cheesey. The goal is to stop this fermentation process at the right time to create the right structure and taste.

Aging the wine usually helps in achieving a flavor that would not be present soon after the fermentation process has been completed. A well-aged red wine will have a lighter color tone as reds become softer over time in their color. The darker a red wine is in color, the younger it is. Young red wines are also typically more acidic, and thus more gripping.

Oftentimes reds are aged in oak to give a wine more tannin and a less fruity flavor in addition to adding an extra dimension to the structure of the wine. Tannins in reds, like the colors, also get softer with time.


The aromas:
For Whites: Pear, Honey, Grapefruit
Reds - not aged in oak barrels or with oak chips: Strawberry, Raisin, Prune, Red Pepper, Cheese and Earth
Reds – aged in oak barrels or with oak chips: above aromas plus Coffee, Tobacco, Pepper (black), and Mushrooms (dried).


The Wines:

Mounier
Torrontes 2006
Cafayate, Salta

Sharp, crisp and tart. Honey and grapefruit. Less Pear.

Mendoza whites tend to have more pear.


Mairena
Bonarda 2005
Lujan, Mendoza
2 months in oak

The Bonarda grape used to be used for added structure of red wines in Mendoza and not for drinking. But now many vineyards are exploring and creating wines that are comprised mostly if not fully with the Bonarda grape.

See: Plum and violet color
Snif: Raisin, fruity, chocolate?, dark fruit (strawberry after hearing)
Swirl: more complex, more pruny/raisiny with sweet strawberry background
Sip: tannin, sweet like strawberry, slightly bitter.


Cavas de Crianza Malbec
2005
10 months in oak

See: redder, purple tint, clearer, brighter
Snif: oak and black peppery
Swirl: slight earthy, raisiny, tobacco (only after smelling tobacco)
Sip: tannin, peppery, slight bitter