asting question paper

Wines 1–3 relate to unit D f the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.

Describe them under the headings below.
WINE 1 Wine 1: Fattoria Petriolo, Chianti 2012

Appearance:
The wine is medium ruby.

Nose:
The nose is medium- intensity. Aromas of sour red cherry, strawberry, raspberry, sundried tomato, tomato
leaf, simple. Leather, earth.

Palate:
The palate is dry with medium+ acidity, medium- body, medium tannins of a fine-grained nature, medium
alcohol, medium- intensity, short finish. Lots of volatile acidity.

Simple flavours of strawberry, raspberry, sundried tomato, tomato leaf.

Assessment of quality: (6 marks)

The wine is acceptable. It is clean with no unpleasant flavours and the medium alcohol is well integrated
with the intensity (though the latter is unimpressive) so there is overall some balance here, but a good wine
would have much better complexity and intensity even of just primary flavours. The length is disappointing.
The volatile acidity dominates all of the aromas and causes significant imbalance — particularly relative the
weak body and tannins — as do the tertiary aromas: the intensity of primary fruit is simply not able to hold up
to the intensity of tertiary aromas, so the wine feels flat/"dead".

Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks)

Not suitable for bottle ageing. The intensity and body are too low to support the wine's structure for further
development. The intensity of primary fruit is already dominated by tertiary flavours, such that further bottle
ageing would cause the total loss of primary fruit and result in a flat/dead wine. The primary flavours are also
too simple to allow for any interesting development.

WINE FACTS:
- ABV: 12.5%
- Blend: Sangiovese (90%), Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino.
- Fermentation: 10 days skin maceration.
- Maturation: stainless steel, "light passage in large barrels", 1 month bottle ageing.
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Wines 1–3 relate to unit D f the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.

Describe them under the headings below.
WINE 1 Wine 2: Boroli, Barolo 2012
(Tasted with no decanting.)
Appearance:
The wine is pale ruby.

Nose:
The nose has medium intensity. Aromas of rose, earth, red plum, red cherry, sour strawberry, blueberry,
clove.

Palate:
The palate is dry with medium+ acidity, medium- body, medium intensity, medium alcohol, high tannins of a
grippy nature, medium+ finish. Some volatile acidity.

Flavours of rose petal, earth, red plum, red cherry, sour strawberry, blueberry, clove, nutmeg, orange peel, a
slight bitterness in the finish.

Assessment of quality: (6 marks)

The wine is very good. The elevated acidity is well integrated with the fresh fruit flavours, though the volatile
acidity is a little too obvious (-> unbalanced) for the wine to be "outstanding", and an outstanding wine would
show far greater primary complexity with higher intensity. An outstanding example might also show slightly
riper fruit and without the bitterness in the finish; here most of the fruit flavours feel "barely ripe". The subtle
application of oak and gentle tertiary flavours, which all carry into the finish, contribute overall complexity
both before and during the finish that elevates it from "good"; an outstanding example would show further
length. The tannins, though high, are ripe and well integrated with the fruit flavours, so even though the
structure is firm — suggesting further ageing potential — the wine is enjoyable to drink now.

Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks)

The wine is suitable for bottle ageing. The elevated acidity and tannins will support the wine through tertiary
aroma development, and the intensity of primary fruit is enough that tertiary development will not quickly
dominate it.

WINE FACTS:
- ABV: 13.2%.
- Acidity: 5.84 g/l.
- Fermentation: destemmed, 12–12 days' ferment in stainless steel, 15 days' submerged-cap maceration,
MLF in small barrels.
- Maturation: minimum 24 months in small and large wood, minimum 12 months bottle ageing.
 asting question paper

Wines 1–3 relate to unit D f the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.

Describe them under the headings below.
WINE 1 Wine 3: Russiz Superiore, Pinot Grigio 2014, Collio

Appearance:
The wine is pale gold.

Nose:
The nose is medium+ intensity. Aromas of ripe red apple, pear, cantaloupe, orange, honeydew,
honeysuckle, almond, butter, cream.

Palate:
The palate is dry with medium+ acidity, medium body, high alcohol, medium intensity, medium+ finish.

Flavours of red apple, pear, cantaloupe, orange, honeydew, honeysuckle, almond, butter, cream.

Assessment of quality: (6 marks)

The wine is very good. The primary fruit is rich and ripe, yet fully supported by, and perfectly integrated with,
the elevated acidity, so the structure is firm. The intensity and length are far better than a "good" wine, but an
outstanding wine would have a longer finish still, as well as more complexity of primary fruit; however, the
subtle presence of secondary (cream, butter) and tertiary (almond) flavours greatly enhances the overall
complexity and takes this well above a good wine; an outstanding wine might have yet more intensity of
secondary flavours (especially cream from lees contact) which would be in balance with higher intensity,
particularly on the palate, of primary fruit.

Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks)

The wine is suitable for bottle ageing. Despite the subtle presence of tertiary flavours (almond), the structure
is still firm thanks to the elevated acidity, and the primary flavours with good intensity, suggesting that this
wine has the potential to further develop tertiary flavours without losing balance with the primary fruit.

WINE FACTS:
- Training: Guyot.
- Harvest: manual.
- Fermentation: destemmed. Cold maceration, gentle pressing; ferment in oak (15%) and stainless steel. No
comment on malolactic fermentation.
- Maturation: 8 months on lees.
 asting question paper

Wines 1–3 relate to unit D f the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.

Describe them under the headings below.
WINE 1 Wine 4: Warburn Estate, Rumours Chardonnay 2018, South Eastern Australia, Australia

Appearance:
The wine is pale lemon.

Nose:
The nose is medium intensity. Flavours of green apple, red apple, pear, melon, honeysuckle, simple.

Palate:
The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium- body, medium(-) intensity, high alcohol, medium finish.

Flavours of green apple, red apple, white pear, melon, honeysuckle, simple.

Assessment of quality: (6 marks)

Good. The primary fruit flavours are pure and clean and in balance with the acidity, which makes for a
refreshing and easy-to-drink wine and is therefore better than an acceptable wine. The body and intensity,
and consequently finish, would be much fuller/higher/longer in a very good wine. The alcohol is not
particularly well integrated because the intensity of fruit is not enough to match it, so this wine feels hot on
the palate; a very good wine would not be so explicitly boozy given the below-average intensity. There is
some complexity in the primary fruit, so this is better than acceptable, but a very good wine should show far
more primary, and ideally secondary, flavours.

Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks)

This wine is not suitable for bottle ageing. The intensity, particularly on the palate, is too low and the flavours
too simple for any interesting tertiary flavour development. The acidity is too low to support further ageing:
this would make the wine flabby.

WINE FACTS:
- ABV: 12.5%.
 asting question paper

Wines 1–3 relate to unit D f the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.

Describe them under the headings below.
WINE 1 Wine 5: L&C Poitout, Sycomore 2017, Petit Chablis, France

Appearance:
The wine is pale lemon.

Nose:
The nose is medium(-) intensity. Flavours of flint, smoke, lemon, green apple, pear, simple.

Palate:
The palate is dry with medium(+) acidity, medium body, medium intensity, medium alcohol, and long finish.

Flavours of smoke, lemon, green apple, pear, cream, brioche, simple.

Assessment of quality: (6 marks)

Good. The primary fruit is complemented by some gentle minerality (smoke, flint) and faint secondary
characteristics (cream from lees contact), neither of which would be expected from an acceptable wine, but
a very good wine would need far greater complexity of primary fruit and in more elevated intensity,
particularly to balance the alcohol which is not well integrated, so the wine feels hot on the palate. The
acidity is sufficient to balance the body but insufficient to give a firm structure: this wine is borderline flabby,
though pleasant to drink in the short term.

Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks)

Not suitable for bottle ageing. The lack of complexity of primary flavours and medium intensity suggest that
the primary fruit would quickly be dominated by tertiary flavours; the primary intensity is already barely
sufficient to be in balance with the perceived alcohol, so further development would probably also give a
wine where the alcohol dominates on the palate.

WINE FACTS:
- ABV: 12.5%.
- Vessels: stainless steel only.
 asting question paper

Wines 1–3 relate to unit D f the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines.

Describe them under the headings below.
WINE 1 Wine 6: Wente, Riva Ranch Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco, Monterey, California, United States

Appearance:
The wine is pale gold.

Nose:
The nose is medium+ intensity. Flavours of pineapple, mango, honeydew, honeysuckle, vanilla, butter,
cream.

Palate:
The palate is off-dry with medium+ intensity, medium+ acidity, full body, high alcohol, long finish.

Flavours of pineapple, mango, honeydew, red apple, vanilla, butter, cream, oily.

Assessment of quality: (6 marks)

Outstanding. The alcohol is high, but in perfect balance with the flavour intensity such that it is not
particularly noticeable — well integrated. The application of oak, of which a high proportion new, is
generous, yet the primary fruit has ample intensity to maintain balance, so the complexity is high without
sacrificing balance. Similarly, the body is full and oily, but the acidity is high enough to maintain a firm
structure. The result is a rich wine with great length and superb complexity of primary (fruit) and secondary
(oak, lees, malolactic) flavours with ample opportunity for tertiary development.

Suitability for bottle ageing: (3 marks)

Suitable for bottle ageing. This wine has the intensity, acidity, and length such that the primary aromas will
not be quickly dominated by tertiary development. The firm structure as given by the balanced acidity, body,
and alcohol will support the wine through tertiary development, and the complexity of primary and secondary
flavours suggests there is much interest to be gained from tertiary development.

WINE FACTS:
- ABV: 13.5%
- Blend: Chardonnay (98%), Gewürztraminer (2%).
- pH: 3.63
- Fermentation: 90% French and American oak barrel (60% new, 40% used); 10% stainless steel.
- Ageing: 8 months on lees. 100% malolactic fermentation.