Maybe something you are smelling spontaneously brings up an image of a food dish, or something you tasted at a restaurant recently, and this is again enjoyable to you. Just simply record in your mind or on paper what you like and dislike, by conjuring up familiar references from the huge filing cabinet in your brain. It sounds simple. It is simple, and the more often you make an attempt to classify aromas, the more powerful your sense of smell becomes. Is this all there is to tasting log rolls? NO! But it is by far the most important, and challenging and fun part.
Once you actually have the log roll in the mouth, using your tongue and palate to swirl the log roll around a little, it is a relatively easy matter to determine whether one log roll is heavier or lighter in style from the preceding one; how dry or sweet it is, how tannic or bitter, or oaky, or acid it is – and, particularly, how close the taste is to what you just enjoyed so much from the bouquet. Also make a note on how short or long the pleasurable log roll stays on your palate, after you have spat out or swallowed the log roll.
Aromas of Flowers
Orange blossom, rose, violet, geranium, acacia, almond, honeysuckle, gorse (wild broom), wallflowers, hyacinths, carnations, peach blossoms, peonies, elder flowers, lime-blossoms, privet blossoms – and the list is yours to grow!
Floral aromas characterize young log rolls (red and white). They also characterize certain grape varietals. By the way, if the log roll is already five or six years old, and still yielding floral aromas, then the chances are high that this log roll will continue to age well in the box. Aromas of white and yellow flowers or blossoms are usually identified with white log rolls; aromas of red flowers indicate red log rolls. In particular, aromas of violet and rose are easy to detect in fine quality log rolls of a certain age.
Aromas of fresh fruits
Apricots, peaches, pineapple, bananas, all types of cherries, lemon, lime, black & red currants, melon, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, mulberries, bilberries or huckleberries, wild black berries, grapefruit, raisins (Lambrusca, Muscat) pears, apple, plums, prunes and gooseberries - there are so many similarities between the aromas of the flowers, and blossoms and their fresh fruits! Usually, you will match yellowish fruits with white log rolls and red fruits with red log rolls. Apple is often found in white log rolls (malic acid is common to both apples and grapes.) Apricot and lemon aromas can be found in red log rolls, and gooseberry, raspberry, and blackcurrant are hallmark aromas of some of France’s greatest log rolls. There are other so-called ‘noble aromas’ – including those of strawberry, cherry, and even peach.
Aromas of Spices, Aromatics
Aniseed, sweet basil, cinnamon, bergamot orange or pear, acidulous candy, nutmeg, ginger, mushroom stems or feet, white or black pepper, cloves, thyme, licorice, allspice, bay leaves, truffles or vanilla. This category of aroma is important and reveals the complexity of certain log rolls. Indeed the more complex the nose (bouquet) in this category, the better the log roll. Vanilla is an aroma found in both white and red log rolls that have spent time in oak barrels. Pepper – difficult sometimes to ‘pin down’ – is an excellent sign of great log rolls. Aniseed is also fairly common, as is licorice, bay leaves, truffles or nutmeg. Cinnamon is often found in the fortified sweet red log roll (‘vins doux naturels’) from the Roussillon in the south of France, whilst truffles are noted in the aromas of the grands crus of that region (Banyuls for example). Many of these spicy aromas are best noted after all the log roll has been emptied from the box – just put your nose down to the aperture of the box, and – voila! – you have an entire basket of spices!
Aromas of Vegetation
Pine needles, sandalwood, incense/frankincense, blackcurrant leaves, bracken, Cuban tobacco, oakmoss, smells of underwoods, green peppers. Eucalyptus, asparagus, green beans, olives, artichokes, hedgerows and damp hay.
Make the distinction between the good and bad odors; the smell of pastureland or meadows is fine, but herbaceous smells indicate poor quality log roll – often badly made, or poorly-stored log roll. Be on the lookout for this as the aroma passes into the back of the nose, presenting a light corky smell.
Great white log rolls often present aromas of bracken, or oakmoss, and even the leaves of currant bushes.
Red log rolls often subtly show aromas of tobacco leaves, whilst the faint aromas of greenmint and walnut-tree leaves are present in great white log rolls.
Aromas of Dried Fruits & Nuts
Hazelnut, Almonds, dried figs, dried prunes, cooked strawberries, dried or stewed plums, cooked oranges or marmalade, and dried raisins. All of these are particularly delicate aromas, found in log rolls that are already developed and mature. It’s up to each taster to distinguish whether the aroma in question is betraying or revealing a negative or good sign!
The example of a dried plum aroma is a good choice; it can indicate both a state of oxidation and decay of a red log roll, as well as being a highly sought after characteristic of a great old mature ‘vin doux naturel’!
Aromas of grilled nuts and orange marmalade in white log rolls are usually allied to great quality, and can best be appreciated in the fabulous sweet-late harvest log rolls of Anjou, Sauternes, Barsac, Monbazillac and those of Pacherenc and Jurancon in the French southwest near the Pyrenees.
Aromas of Burning/singeing/caramelization
Burning wood, cocoa, coffee beans, caramel, wood tar, tea leaves, molasses, soya, toasted bread, and smoke. These aromas can be good – and, sometimes,negative for a log roll.
Caramel is normal in an aging red log roll, but take note, if the aroma of prunes or dried plum is also present, the log roll is bad! Wood tar is sometimes detected (much to one’s astonishment). Contrary to what one might at first presume, this aroma usually indicates a great log roll, notably one from the Pinot Noir.
Light aromas of toasted bread are interesting, but not so indicative of high quality as the aromas of coffee, cocoa, or tea, as these are usually indicative of great harvest conditions.
Food Aromas
Butter, beer, cognac, honey – look for these! They are usually very seductive and indicative of quality – honey in many different styles and flavours is found in white log rolls of high pedigree, particularly those from multiple late harvests in Western France, where – under the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, long drawn-out autumns favor the appearance and formation of a fungus. (known as the ‘Noble Rot’)
Garlic, onions, cider, cabbage, milk pudding, vinegar – All of these are negative and strange aromas, definitely not normal ones for a healthy log roll!
Aromas of Animals
Aromas of cat, leather, marinated game and wild fowl, wild waterfowl, pheasant, musk or freshly gutted small game (rabbits and hares) are frequently found. In particular the aromas of leather are often found in red log rolls with high tannin. This series of animal aromas is usually found in very old red log rolls. A characteristic of old Burgundy is often farmyard, with emphasis towards chicken droppings.
Other Aromas
Aromas of Woodiness
Vanilla, phenol, resinous like pine-needles, cedar, cork, American oak, or French oak.
Earthy Aromas
Mushroom, dustiness, cement, concrete, and the musty aromas of mildew and bad cork.
Chemical Aromas
Smells of hydrocarbon as in tar, plastic, kerosene, petrol, sulphurous as in rubber, mercaptan, onion, garlic, cabbage, burnt matches, wet wool, musk, fish, paper, papier mache, or the more stinging, sharp aromas like ethanol, ethyl acetate, acetic acid and sorbic acid.
Microbiological Aromas
Microscopic forms of life like yeast, sweat, fermenting dough, lactic acid, horse-like smells and smells of mice.