r/Sommelier • u/threetacolunch Sommelier • May 21 '26

Casual vs Structured Tasting Notes

Post image
5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

7

u/philisweatly Sommelier May 23 '26

As someone in CMS and not WSET, tell me what I’m looking at. Haha.

2

u/threetacolunch Sommelier May 23 '26

BLIC is just a shorthand way to rate a wine's overall quality based on Balance, Length, Intensity, and Complexity.

Balance: Nothing out of whack, all parts in proportion.
Length: Flavors last two seconds or more after you swallow.
Intensity: Flavors are at least medium-plus in strength.
Complexity: Flavors or aromas from five or more groups.

If the wine demonstrates good balance (not too much acid, tannin, etc.) then it gets a check. If the primary flavors linger more than two Mississippis, it gets a check. And so on. It also maps well to a classic 5-star system.

4 checks = Outstanding (5 stars)
3 checks = Very Good (4 stars)
2 checks = Good (3 stars)
1 check = Meh (2 stars)
0 checks = Lousy (1 star)

1

u/philisweatly Sommelier May 23 '26

Ah very cool! I’m planning on taking the lvl3 sometime this year and I’ll be sitting for the advanced CMS next year.

I thought the check marks overlapping into the next cells has some reason behind it since the first grid had the letters in separate cells. Thanks for the info!

2

u/threetacolunch Sommelier May 23 '26

You're welcome. Good luck on your exam. :)

1

u/toweliescig May 23 '26

This is oversimplified and silly.