Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend
Like Duolingo, but for Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
71 levels across 8 sections, about 142 minutes end to end, roughly 28 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Immediate Palate, The Left Bank: Cabernet and Gravel, The Right Bank: Merlot and Clay, The White and the Sweet, Judging Quality and Potential, The Art of the Assemblage, Terroir and Climate Realities, and The Professional Table. It assumes you already know the basics.
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Key ideas in Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend
- Graphite is a signature tertiary aroma of aged Left Bank Cabernet
- Baked plum indicates riper fruit from warmer years
- Savory notes emerge as fruit evolves into mineral scents
- Fresh plum suggests brighter acidity of cooler vintages
- Graphite is associated with gravelly soils of Médoc
- Right Bank clay soils preserve moisture
- Identifying the specific 'pencil lead' note of aged Cabernet Sauvignon
- Distinguishing between fresh plum and baked plum in Merlot-dominant blends
- Forest floor (sous-bois) describes the damp, organic smell of a woodland path
- Mushroom notes are more specific to fungi and indicate advanced bottle age
- Crushed stone refers to a tactile, flinty sensation on the palate and nose
- Minerality provides a lean, structural counterpoint to Cabernet's dark fruit
- The 'forest floor' vs. 'mushroom' distinction in aged bottles
- The 'finish' or 'caudalie' is the primary objective measure of a wine's quality
- Grand Cru Classé wines typically exhibit a finish lasting 15-30+ seconds
- Recognizing the 'crushed stone' minerality of the Left Bank
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
If you detect 'baked plum' in a Merlot blend, what does this usually tell you about the growing season?
Get it right to open this lesson and 70 more in the app.
Where Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend takes you
Master the nuances of the world's most prestigious wine region, from the gravelly banks of the Médoc to the limestone plateaus of Saint-Émilion.
- 1
The Immediate Palate
- Beyond 'Red Fruit'
- The Structure of Tannin
- 2
The Left Bank: Cabernet and Gravel
- Médoc and the Gravel Influence
- The Stature of Pauillac
- Margaux’s Floral Elegance
- 3
The Right Bank: Merlot and Clay
- Saint-Émilion’s Limestone vs. Clay
- Pomerol: The Iron and the Velvet
- 4
The White and the Sweet
- Dry Whites of Graves and Pessac-Léognan
- Sauternes: The Botrytis Alchemy
- 5
Judging Quality and Potential
- Identifying 'En Primeur' Potential
- The Evolution of Secondary Aromas
- Deciphering the 1855 Classification
- 6
The Art of the Assemblage
- The Role of the Supporting Cast
- Balancing Acid, Alcohol, and Wood
- 7
Terroir and Climate Realities
- Vintage Variation: Navigating the 'Off' Years
- The Impact of Global Warming
- 8
The Professional Table
- Glassware and Temperature Precision
- Cellaring and Provenance
8 sections · 18 units · 71 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Bordeaux and the Art of the Blend today.
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