At what age does a mid-range Loire Cabernet Franc tastes the best? A more adequate question is perhaps: if great on release, will such a wine offer that enjoyment later or dumb phases are expected, like in the case of Southern Rhone reds?
Collemattoni Rosso di Montalcino 2017
I hoped for a little Brunello, but this was a disappointment. Continue reading
Fine Beaujolais Nouveau: Jean-Baptiste Duperray, Vieilles Vignes 2020
It’s titled Vieilles Vignes (old vines), but just like other similarly priced (around the 8€ mark) and well made Nouveaus, it’s easily up to most Beaujolais Crus in quality. Just like others I have been buying in recent years.
Bakonyi Kékfrankos 2017, Villány, Hungary
The first vintage of the wine. The 2018 is more serious, but priced a bit higher and not yet ready to drink, as opposed to this one. I would happily drink this now. Continue reading
Post House Blueish Black 2018, WO Western Cape
A nice Barbera – Marziano Abbona Casaret 2018, Langhe
I brought this to our last Kékfrankos (Blaufrankisch) blind tasting, just to see if it would confuse people. The two grapes have some similarities (notably the bright acidity), but this clearly did not belong to the line-up. Not to mention that it outshone all the Kékfrankos wines, despite being less expensive than most of those. Continue reading
Not for the faint-hearted: Tesco Finest Valle del Limari Shiraz 2019 (Chile)

I hope I can visit Chile one day, during the harvest period and taste some black grapes. Doing a vintage in a cellar would be even more amazing. That way I could probably understand where that very special character comes, which hallmarks the red wines of the country.
So special: Szentesi Fekete Muskotály 2018

Before raving again about a Szentesi wine, I should probably mention that I’m not always satisfied with his wines. I find quite a few which is not faultless, and I attribute that to his non-interventionist philosophy. But the successful ones are just so exciting… as is the Fekete Muskotály.
Bock Kékfrankos 2018 from Villány

Another good Kékfrankos from Villány. That southern wine region is rather known from Cabernets and Merlots , I wonder if Kékfrankos is getting now more attention from winemakers.
Bakonyi Villányi Kékfrankos 2018
The winner of the Kékfrankos blind tasting mentioned here. Continue reading