Virtual winetasting: Palataia Pinot Noir 2011

Palataia Pinot Noir 2011

I took part in a virtual tasting of this German pinot noir with @JacquiWine on Twitter, which was great. We simultaneously tasted the wine and tweeted our thoughts, comparing notes.

I really enjoyed the wine, although Jacqui felt it had just something on the finish she wasn't 100% keen on. Perhaps a gamey or meaty note.

And as she pointed out it has a slightly spicy edge to it, which I definitely picked up on in the aroma: a curryish smell almost, like cinnamon. Though with another glass I decided it was the smell of a bonfire.

Quite a savoury wine we both agreed, and I thought it was a bit irony, with some strawberry fruit flavours and, daft as it might sound, the smell of a damp forest. Lots of different smells and flavours to pick up on. I liked it.

As Tim Atkin pointed out, it's very good value at £8.99 from M&S.

Michael Broadbent and a whiff of merde

The award for tasting note of the month has to go to veteran Decanter columnist Michael Broadbent. In his column in the magazine's August issue, this is how Broadbent describes Louis Jadot's 1999 Charmes-Chambertin wine:

"Though a long-time admirer of Jadot," Broadbent reflects, "I was disappointed. It was showing some maturity; nose low-keyed, slightly meaty, with a whiff of merde. I thought it was better on the palate: sweet, silky, mature."