Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/31323
SPEED TASTING REPORT Aroma Therapy A OUR FIRST WINE SPEED TASTING INDULGED US IN THE SENSE OF SCENTS fter a long, cold winter, as the world thawed and reawakened with the beauty of springtime, THE TASTING PANEL’s thoughts turned to . . . aromatic whites. Whether it’s freshly-cut tea rose from a Gewürztraminer, awe-inspiring honey and biscuit from a Semillon, the freshly-squeezed grapefruit from a Sauv Blanc or the apricots and white flowers of a Viognier, our noses were on the ready to breathe in the perfumes of some of our favorite whites. We organized an invitation-only tasting, limited to 20 wines, which Panelist Caroline Styne, co-owner and Wine Director for L.A. restaurants Tavern, Lucques and AOC, indulges her senses during the blind tasting portion of the event. were, at first, blind tasted by our top-notch panel of buyers and journalists. After putting our palates to the ultimate test, each wine’s identity, appella- tion and varietal was revealed, and we explored these aromatic whites in a ten minute presentation given by each brand, all hosted by THE PALM in West Hollywood, CA. Here is a sampling of our panel’s blind tasting notes, followed by some key details of the soon-to-be-revealed wines. As you might imagine, we had a lot of fun challenging, testing and occasionally stumping our pal- ates, and there were plenty of sweet surprises in this aromatic showdown. 68 / the tasting panel / may 201 1 PHOTO: JIMMY P