Sorry mdrew.
It was a quote from the movie "Sideways' that sparked not only a huge interest in wine tasting but especially the pinot noir grape. The boys were sipping wine and discussing flavours and the newbie wine fellow said...

You can get the idea of the smell of oak from wine barrels if you get the chance to visit a winery. I've never really come across the smell except from that source although i suppose if you had a good fresh chunk of American or French oak you could give it a quick burn, soak it awhile then sniff but i imagine it still might not be exactly the same. They usually roast the barrels before wine is dumped in so the 'toasted' smell comes from slightly burned wood. It tends to add a nutty flavour depending on how/what wine was put in along with the character of the oak wood.
If you have the chance, try to find two wines from a very similar region (or from the same winery if possible) where one is oaked and another not oaked. Chardonnays are done both ways but oak barrels are used in ageing the wine for virtually every common grape to varying extents.
Once you try some oaky chardonnays and then try a non-oaked version, you should get a pretty good idea as to how the oak adds to the flavour. It is pretty distinct and a relatively robust scent.

If i recall, there are scent kits out there which sell something like 40 common scents and flavours in wine to help out the beginning taster.

"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."