Whats your favourite wine characteristic ?

[larry_schaffer]

Honestly in reds what gets me is stem inclusion and the resulting aromas young and with age, along with how it tends to fill the donut that is a hollow mid-palate on so many wines.

Agreed entirely. When done right and ‘integrated’, stems just add a little something all around, and I love your ‘donut hole’ analogy - will use from now on

Cheers!

[Ian_H]

If I had to pick just one it’s that feeling of energy and being alive which I guess I’d attribute to the acidity.

More narrow, lately I’ve been really digging what I consider to be the pepper aroma that you (or at least I) get from Northern Rhone.

[David_Bu3ker]

The aroma of honey on stones that only happens with well aged Riesling.

[Eric_Ifune]

The rancio of a good wood aged fortified wine coupled with the complexity of long aging.

[Josh_Grossman]

Tar & Roses

I also like sous bois and herbes de Provence, unfortunately…

[Scott_Watkins]

The aroma of honey on stones that only happens with well aged Riesling.

Nice, thanks for putting that aroma into words for me!

[Ken_Strauss]

Silky texture

[Anton_D]

It must pour well and assume the shape of its container.

As for specific characteristics, “truth.”

[Robert.A.Jr]

Gaminess, especially in old world, more rustic Syrah

I’m very disappointed in your response. I thought for sure you would say: kitten fur.

I thought he’d just say “Brett. 4-Ehtylphenol. The horse shit one. That’s the strain of infection, I mean flaw, I mean attribute that I like most.”

Agreed! I failed on both points. Phuck game, bring me essence of kitten fur rolling in barn manure. Hits every dimension, a kaleidoscope of taste and aromas of highrise proportions, reaching the apotheosis of wine appreciation and evolution.

[Paul_McCourt]

My favorite characteristic is how well its doing at retail.

[Anton_D]

My favorite characteristic is how well its doing at retail.

Ah, we have a Caymus, Orin Swift, Butter drinker!

[John_Glas]

White pepper especially in none Northern Rhone Syrah wines.

[Anton_D]

My wife says the green pepper of certain Bordeaux and Cali reds.

She also disagrees with Howard, stating she prefers width to length.

[John_Glas]

Paul McCourt wrote: ↑
Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:58 pm
My favorite characteristic is how well its doing at retail.
Ah, we have a Caymus, Orin Swift, Butter drinker!

Forgot Meiomi Pinot Noir

[Eric_S_n_y_d_e_r]

Gravel

[Howard_Cooper]

My wife says the green pepper of certain Bordeaux and Cali reds.

She also disagrees with Howard, stating she prefers width to length.

Disagree. Don’t like modern fat wines.

[James_D]

Red wine: big GRIPPY rip-your-face-off tannins (à la Barolo/Bordeaux/Napa, etc)

White wine: salty/briny minerality (à la Chablis/coastal Chardonnay, etc)

[Greg_Xu]

petrol in Riesling, under growth in PN or Nebbiolo, or whatever red grape.

[Marc_Frontario]

Leather in bordeaux
Spice in Burgundy

Salinity
Game
Barnyard
Green tobacco leaf
Racy acud
Gravel/slate/rocks

[Ben_M_a_n_d_l_e_r]

Floral notes in reds - mostly Syrah and Pinot. I’m a sucker for flowers anywhere but in reds they’re especially mesmerizing.

Rubber in Riesling. There’s something about the combination of rubber notes, which to me evoke a hot sun (devolatilizing whatever rubber it heats up, be it in tires or elastic bands or tennis balls), with the incredible acidity and freshness that immediately quenches that heat. Just one of the beautiful tensions that make Riesling so great.

And I’ll admit to a flutter of excitement every time I smell eucalyptus in a wine. Intentional or not, eucalyptus is one of my favorite smells in the world and I think its fresh-resinous quality can be very pleasant in some reds, especially bolder, riper ones that can use the lift.