Customer Reviews

Le Nez du Vin Red Wine Aromas Kit 12-pc.

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Fifteen years ago a doctor suggested I drink a glass of red wine with dinner for health reasons. In the course of following his prescription, I developed a love for the stuff, and got very serious about learning about wine, its aromas and tastes. Over the years, I've come up with an approach to enhancing my wine tasting skills, which includes the following:

1. Re-read and practice the tasting exercises three or four times a year described by Andrea Immer in Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier

2. Keep careful notes about each wine I taste and compare notes for similar wines tasted in the past.

3. Discuss wine with experienced wine lovers.

4. Finally, once a year go through the wine essence aroma kits made by Le Nez du Vin. My wife gave me a large kit of essences ten years ago, and it has proven to be a wonderful gift. The essences are all pure, made from natural ingredients, and hold their aromas for many years. The kits are used by made experienced wine lovers, and I've never found a winelover who didn't find them an excellent learning aid.

The kits come in several variations, in addition to the basic red wine kit mentioned here:

- The master kit with 54 aromas -- white and red wines.
- An intermediate kit with 24 aromas -- white and red wines.
- A red wine kit with 12 aromas.
- A white wine and Champagne kit with 12 aromas.
- A set of 12 different aromas imparted by different types of barrels.
- A set of 12 different wine faults; this kit taught me exactly what is meant by a "corked" wine.

The system was developed by a French wine expert, Jean Lenoir, who seeks to " Finally, pleasure. Jean Lenoir want to approach the truth of wine with you to give you a tangible picture of this thrilling but invisible part of wine. A reality that will help you to understand, appreciate and remember... This is where the real pleasure and excitement lie! Now you can join and help to make wine one of mankind's living treasures."

I sound a bit like a shill, but Lenoir's kits and approach have greatly improved my ability to taste wine, while greatly enhancing the enjoyment of the hobby generally.

The 54 aromas include:

Fruit Aromas
01 - Lemon
02 - Grapefruit
03 - Orange
04 - Pineapple
05 - Banana
06 - Lychee
07 - Melon
08 - Muscat
09 - Apple
10 - Pear
11 - Quince
12 - Strawberry
13 - Raspberry
14 - Redcurrant
15 - Blackcurrant
16 - Bilberry
17 - Blackberry
18 - Cherry
19 - Apricot
20 - Peach
21 - Almond (kernel)
22 - Prune
23 - Walnut

Floral Aromas
24 - Hawthorn
25 - Acacia
26 - Linden
27 - Honey
28 - Rose
29 - Violet



Vegetal Aromas
30 - Green pepper
31 - Mushroom
32 - Truffle
33 - Yeast
34 - Cedar
35 - Pine
36 - Licorice
37 - Blackcurrant bud
38 - Cut hay
39 - Thyme
40 - Vanilla
41 - Cinnamon
42 - Clove
43 - Pepper
44 - Saffron

Animal Aromas
45 - Leather
46 - Musk
47 - Butter

Grilled Aromas
48 - Toasted bread
49 - Roasted almonds
50 - Roasted hazelnut
51 - Caramel
52 - Coffee
53 - Dark chocolate
54 - Smoked

Robert C. Ross 2008

I purchased this product for a Christmas gift that had to be received by 18 Dec. Original purchase and shipping confirmation stated product would arrive to me between 15-18 December. Original shipping notification stated product had been shipped 10 December. When I checked the FedEx tracking information several days later, I discovered that it was actually shipped 15 December (not the 10th) with estimated delivery date of 22 December! I contacted seller in hopes that they would send a second le nez du vin kit via expedited shipping to reach me by 18 December. The company's only reply was "sorry, you can refuse receipt of package and get a full refund". Their reply did not solve my problem. They did not even attempt to assist me in receiving one by the promised date. Had I known they couldn't deliver on time, I would have purchased from a different supplier. As it turned out, I did not have enough time to do so. I have no idea why I received shipping confirmation on 10 December since that was not true.

The product arrived on 22 December--4 days late and 4 days after the party where I was supposed to give it to my friend. My opinion is that the company needs to improve their customer service. I would not order from this company again.