605741 Sat Mar 21 23:30:07 -0700 2009 7 16 Mid-Atlantic 0 4526694 someone posted this on another board. It really sounds like complete nonsense to me. Can anyone confirm that this makes sense. Does wine smell like "leather?" Is this just some internet troll playing games? "I just cracked a bottle of 2001 L de Lyeth Sonoma County Merlot. It is wonderful!!! Lots of leather, spice, black cherry and a slight earthiness on the nose. On the palate, honey at the start, followed by citrus, and then mouth filling berry flavors with a hint of currant, and a lightly peppery finish. Not a real chewy wine, but a very nice balance overall. I am pairing it with hot italian sausage, cooked with garlic, onion, green peppers and tomato. It's a pretty tasty meal." Sat Mar 21 23:30:07 -0700 2009 276384 ChowJon99x 1 4526705 Sounds real to me -- I've heard wines described as tasting like all of the things mentioned. Sat Mar 21 23:38:13 -0700 2009 4526694 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 4526771 well, I'm not sure...I found this online leathery A wine-tasting term used to describe wines, usually BIG, TANNIC reds, that have the rich smell characteristic of a new car's leather interior. This leathery quality is typically the result of the wine's exposure to wooden barrels. from: http://www.epicurious.com/tools/winedictionary/entry?id=6955 does anyone know if the description in that original post actually describes that specific wine??? Sun Mar 22 03:12:31 -0700 2009 4526705 276384 ChowJon99x 3 4527304 Well, it's an aged California merlot, which can certainly be a big, tannic red (although the tannins should have mellowed by this time). The other descriptors are within the range of expected characteristics for that type of wine; I'm actually more surprised by the mention of honey and citrus than leather. In other words, do not I think the poster is a troll playing games. An insufferable wine snob or poseur, maybe, but the post sounds real. Sun Mar 22 09:47:34 -0700 2009 4526771 10159 Ruth Lafler 1 4526803 i am between two responses: 1) "... and rich Corinthian leather" 2) "... dare I say, artichoke?" Sun Mar 22 05:10:32 -0700 2009 4526694 30139 aklein 1 4526813 Without smelling and tasting the wine, you really can't tell. I can tell you that a "leather" note is common, especially in cabernet and merlot varieties. The tricky part is a little leather aroma is fine, a lot is often a sign of a flaw such as brettanomyces. A definition is here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brettanomyces Sun Mar 22 05:24:41 -0700 2009 4526694 22225 tom246 1 4526827 Think Leather good - quote about a bottle of red from Apulia "This smells like a favorite leather jacket, warm and worn, softened by age yet still resilient" Wine Vocabulary - All Those Funny Words A friendly copy editor came by the other day, as copy editors sometimes do, with a logical question that wasn't easy to answer. "I don't know that much about wine," she said. "But I have a little trouble relating to something that you say tastes like 'old leather' or 'melting road tar' - and you seem to like it." She's got a point. One of the most challenging things about judging wine - and telling other people about it - is that so much of its appeal is to our senses of smell and taste. Since we humans don't use smell or taste nearly as much, or as effectively, as we do sight, hearing and even touch, we lack a well-defined, precise vocabulary to describe aromas and flavors in terms that mean the same thing to everyone. It isn't easy to do that accurately, vividly and effectively without drifting into intolerable vagueness, dropping into incomprehensible jargon or using the kind of precious language that makes people think you're a wine snob. Furthermore, a lot of the terms that most accurately describe frequently occurring scents in wine are not words that we usually associate with edible things. Oak, cedar and pine, for instance. Moss, leaves and grass. Yes, even tar and leather" Sun Mar 22 05:35:20 -0700 2009 4526694 154727 shabbystorm 1 4527221 Sorry to disappoint your skepticism but leather in the nose and taste of some red wines is not only a reality, but in moderation can be a truly desirable element. Without sounding like a vinosnob I happen to enjoy the transition of age-worthy red wines into something 5 to 20 years old where the fresh berry flavors and the astringent tannins both mellow towards more mature flavors that might be described as a middle ground with neither dominating but a softer balance. Many of those aged reds take on mature spiced nuances where you can actually discern smells like leather, tobacco, cedar, as the follow up to mature red plum or deep berry tones. I find these more in the nose of great red rhones but also mature bordeaux and some cabernets. The actual taste seldom finds the leather as a distinct, stand alone flavor but in many of the mature reds many of the nose nuances can still be discerned upon sipping but hopefully in a balanced, harmonious whole. Sun Mar 22 09:08:04 -0700 2009 4526694 73518 ThanksVille