Rational Wine

A Life Through The Lens Of Wine

  • Home
  • New? Start Here
  • About Me
  • Philosophy
  • Words To Live By
  • Archives
  • Gallery
  • The Essentials
  • Rational Wine Note
  • The 7 Key Wine Concepts (FREE BOOK)
  • Wine Consultations

Review #49 – Channing Daughters ‘Sylvanus Vineyard’ Blaufrankisch 2010

By Mark Law Leave a Comment

Channing Daughters 'Sylvanus Vineyard' Blaufrankisch 2010

Another interesting find at my local wine shop – an exotic European varietal cultivated in North America. I don’t often get the chance to taste North American wines or exotic European wines, so it was a welcome opportunity to be able to try both in the same sitting.

Upon further research, I found that perhaps Blaufrankisch is probably not all that unfamiliar to me – apparently it is a major component of Egri Bikaver, one of which I have reviewed here before. It’s fascinating for me to see the similarities and differences between the two sets of tasting notes.

The Stats

Download notes

Download Now!

Take Your Own Notes!

Appearance

  • Clarity: Clear
  • Intensity: Medium
  • Colour: Ruby

Nose

  • Condition: Clean
  • Intensity: Medium
  • Development: Developing

Palate

  • Sweetness: Dry
  • Acidity: Medium+
  • Tannin: Medium-
  • Alcohol: Medium+
  • Body: Medium
  • Flavor Intensity: Medium
  • Finish: Medium-

Conclusions

  • Quality: Good
  • Readiness/Cellaring: Drink now, do not cellar
  • Identity: USA / New York / Blaufrankisch, Dornfelder
  • Price: High-priced ($30)

Notes

  • Long, thin tears
  • No evidence of gas or sediment
  • Aromas of maraschino cherries, potpourri, dried rose
  • Flavours of sour cherries, strawberry, pepper, liquorice
  • Really having to get my nose in to get the aromas, could benefit from decanting.
  • Fine soft tannins, but finish feels a little short due to cleansing acidity.
  • Possible to match with many dishes as it is not too bold
  • Pork, lamb and duck would work well

Elaboration

One strange thing I would like to point out in the notes – I marked this wine as “medium+” in alcohol, when in fact the back label states that it is only 11.6%ABV, which is really quite low. All I can say is that I experienced the sensation of heat in my back palate that is usually associated with high-alcohol wines – however I have been feeling a little under the weather recently, which could have thrown my senses off.

That’s another reason to do frequent tastings and take notes. While tasting is ultimately a subjective experience, it is necessary to have a baseline or mean to compare your observations to, otherwise no two people can ever have a meaningful discussion about it. Think of this as the wine tasting version of the International System of Units. Just as one kilogram in Australia should be exactly the same as one kilogram in America, so should my understanding of high-alcohol at least have some overlap with yours.

Maybe I should consider skipping tastings if I feel that my health will affect my senses. But I can’t help it – I’m a certified alcoholic, after all.

Read more: 3 Main Things To Think About When Choosing A Wine

Related Posts

  • Review #50 – Evans & Tate Redbrook Shiraz 2010Review #50 – Evans & Tate Redbrook Shiraz 2010
  • Review #36 – Klinec Medana Malvasija 2010Review #36 – Klinec Medana Malvasija 2010
  • Review #31 – Hungarovin Egri Bull’s Blood 2010Review #31 – Hungarovin Egri Bull’s Blood 2010
  • Review #25 – Zonin Amarone della Valpolicella 2010Review #25 – Zonin Amarone della Valpolicella 2010

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Pinterest
  • Skype
  • Print

Related

September 30, 2015 Filed Under: Wine Reviews

Subscribe via Email

Subscribe to Rational Wine and receive weekly reviews, articles, opinions and more!

Get My FREE Book

3D_7KWC_Reduced

Buy A Consultation

ConsultWineTemplate

Follow Rational Wine

  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Topics

  • Blog Announcements (21)
  • Day In The Life (35)
  • Impromptu Pairings (1)
  • The Essentials (8)
  • Thinking Sober (53)
  • Uncategorized (3)
  • Wine Experiments (5)
  • Wine Regions (9)
  • Wine Reviews (55)

Buy A Consultation

ConsultWineTemplate

Recent Posts

  • My experience of the Advanced Wine Assessment Course
  • Reflections on 2020
  • 2012 Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva (or, How To Read A Wine Label)
  • New Video: Wine Vintages
  • New Video: Red Wine Grapes

Recent Comments

  • My experience of the Advanced Wine Assessment Course on Advanced Sommelier Exam – Second Attempt
  • Reflections on 2020 on Advanced Sommelier Exam – Second Attempt
  • Reflections on 2020 on Reflections on 2019
  • Reflections on 2020 on Will Sommeliers Go Out Of Fashion?
  • Reflections on 2020 on Hello, My Name Is Mark Law DipWSET

Copyright Rational Wine © 2013–2023 · Rational Wine · Consult Wine · The 7 Key Wine Concepts · Contact

 

Loading Comments...