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Tasting Notes
A lighter-bodied wine with plus acidity and tannin that frame a complex mix of sour cherry and brambly fruit, along with notes of lavender, leather, mineral, and spice.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
12.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Gamay is a very old Burgundian variety often overshadowed by Pinot Noir. In the past, Gamay wines were often simple light and fruity wines, but old vine Gamay, especially Cru wines in Beaujolais have the potential to make very serious age-worthy wines with complex red and dark fruit, spice, and floral components at reasonable prices, especially for the serious complexity found in these wines.
Clusel-Roch makes its home in Verenay on the cliff-like granite hillsides of Côte-Rôtie. Making wine on these steep slopes is not for the meek, as the slopes require everything to be done by hand.
Clusel-Roch was founded in 1935 and now this tiny 3.5-hectare domaine is run by Gilbert Clusel, his wife Brigit, and their son, Guillaume. The Syrah grapes planted are low-yielding and result in intense fruit, then wine that is distinctly of the terroir.
The Clusel family were early pioneers in organic farming, converting fully in 1990. Everything in this vineyard is the result of incredible care, hard work, and respect for the terroir, and it shows.
Sour Cherry
Lavender
Spice Box
Organic
