Wine for Unusual Tasting Notes

Apparently, so I learned yesterday, I have a low tolerance for Volatile Acidity (VA) and Brettanomyces (Brett) in wine. What the hell am I talking about, you might ask? Well I'll tell you: Brett is a strain of yeast that can get into a wine and cause a flaw that manifests as varying degrees of an odor that is most commonly referred to as "barnyard"; VA is a sign of an instability in a wine (though not always in a bad way) and is caused by, as the name suggests, acids in a wine that can evaporate at low temperatures and create an aroma that is likened to that of nail varnish or nail polish remover. It is often a by-product of "noble rot".

Neither of these flaws necessarily make a wine undrinkable, and often the strength of the aromas subsides as you drink the wine. I seem to be particularly sensitive to both Brett and VA, and can smell them in smaller amounts than a lot of other people. This doesn't necessarily mean anything about my ability to tell what wine comes from where, but it is an interesting thing to note about myself. I'll see down the line if it comes in handy or not.

What I love about these flaws, and the whole reason I bring them up is because they provide a perfect example of some of the odd aromas people pick up in wines. Frankly, to me, saying that Brett makes a wine smell like "barnyard" is kind at best. When very strong, to me the Brett makes the wine smell like dung. Others may describe it as horse blanket or even sweaty horse. What I love is that we can smell a wine that essentially gives off the aroma of poop and still taste it and say: "Tastes good, though."

Another recent descriptor I was introduced to is "cat pee", which is apparently a common characteristic aroma of Sauvignon Blanc. Now I can deal with thinking of horse manure when I'm drinking my wine, but cat pee is another story. I had a cat, and never when I was scooping out her litter box did I say: "Now that's the wine for me". Similarly, I have never found myself sitting outside on a hot summer's day thinking: "What would really make this moment complete is a nice cold glass of cat pee." Call me crazy...

All kidding aside, though, the whole act of smelling wines and trying to deduce different aromas is, for me, one of the most fascinating, challenging and joyous aspects of wine. I read recently that the human nose can distinguish something like 1,000 different aromas, and there has even been recent research which suggests that each nostril may be able to distinguish different aromas from the other. What amazes me even more is that we can put our noses deep into a glass of wine and smell fruits, grass, smoke, wood, vegetables, flowers, chalk, clay, dried leaves, damp leaves, tobacco, cigar, leather, horse, herbs, spices, nuttiness and a whole host of other things...all in what is a glass of fermented grape juice (in some cases a glass of grape juice that was fermented 10 years ago). That is just extraordinary to me.

My wine for unusual tasting notes has to be the Charles Jouguet Chinon Cuvee Terroir 2007. This is a Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, and was the wine we tasted yesterday in class that brought to my attention my Brett sensitivity. This is the dung beast in the flesh: horse-blankety, manure-y,musty dusty and mushroomy. On the palate (when you taste it), it leaves a slightly sour black cherry flavor combined with cigar and ash. It's a funky wine, what can I say. But it could stand up to heavy rustic country foods like steak frites and cassoulet. If you try it let me know what you think. Maybe you too will find yourself saying: "Now that's good manure."