Collection Gift Guide: On the Nose
December 2, 2003
Le Nez du Vin 54
If you were unfamiliar with the scent of black currant
bud, you might be tempted to say that a certain aroma detected in your Château
Margaux Pavillon Blanc is that of … well, cat urine. In its fermented form, the
sauvignon grape emits a potent molecule—clinically known as 4-mercapto-4-methyl-pentan-2—found also in black currant bud, box tree,
broom, and valerian. And in Felix’s liquid excretory product. Vile as this
notion may seem, this Barosma betulina essence is highly regarded by perfumers.
Further, for the oenophile it is what gives some of the world’s most prized
wines that very definite zap. Indeed, most quality sauvignons, from the Loire
Valley’s Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé to Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap and Beringer
Fumé, smell of this curious scent. Although copper sulfate treatments will
eradicate the molecule’s characteristics in some wines, a racy sauvignon will
express it gracefully.
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The Le Nez du Vin kit introduces oenophiles to the specific scents found in
wines and provides a vocabulary to discuss a favorite vintage. (Click image to enlarge)Olfaction trivia such as this abound in the £215 (approximately $350) wine scents kit Le Nez du Vin 54, developed by French wine expert Jean Lenoir. Complete with trivia cards, an instruction book, and 54 vials of wine’s most common scents, this kit is a great source of fun. Through identification and familiarity, it is also an excellent way to increase your scent memory, a powerful yet often neglected sense that helps us to identify nearly 10,000 scents compared to our sense of taste, which can only identify sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Included among the essences is black currant, a much fruitier version than its bud form.
Brizard & Co.
www.brizard.co.uk
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