Hungarian dry furmint can be challenging sometimes. We got a reminder of that in November, when our small wine club sat together to open a bunch of white wines (I only collected the furmints here). The most expensive turned out to be the least loved, and sadly no one was even surprised…
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Outstanding blaufrankisch: Dorli Muhr Prellenkirchen Samt&Seide 2021
I’m not a fan of the 2021 vintage in Hungary, but interestingly it’s a completely different story for Dorli Muhr, just outside the country border. Its her best so far I was told, and when she presented a mini-vertical of her Prellenkirchen Samt&Seide a year ago in Budapest, it was indeed the 2021 which impressed me the most. Continue reading
My favourite wines: Tyrrell’s Semillon 2023
Hunter Valley semillon is a unique white wine style (although Australian riesling is similarly built one could argue) and while not widely available in Europe, it’s really worth seeking out. Start with this one from Tyrrell’s – it’s one of my favourite whites consumed in the last few months. Continue reading
Outstanding Beaujolais Cru: Chateau Grange Cochard Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2015
I often read that Beaujolais Cru ages surprisingly well, but on the contrary I mostly find that they develop relatively quickly – tasting mature and tertiary as a 5 years-old wine. But this isn’t one of those cases.Two rieslings from Luxembourg: Schmit-Fohl and Kohll-Leuck
Here we have two rieslings from Luxembourg, from two producers. Kohll-Leuck makes outstanding pinot gris (the Rousemen is one of the very best examples of the variety I have ever tasted), so my expectations were quite high towards their riesling, but the winner is Schmit-Fohl this time – a name new to me.
Amazing supermarket Tokaji: Royal Tokaji Late Harvest 2017
This widely distributed, big production sweet tokaji has been on the market for around two decades, and while I liked the early vintages, I missed the last ten vintages or so. What about the current release? It’s not just good, but actually great! An amazing sweet wine for 9 euros!
Kutch McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir 2020
Tasting blind I thought this was from the Old World. Well, not really… anyway, it’s a beautiful pinot noir.
Three affordable ports
Vintage ports are crazy expensive these days, but it’s not hard to find value in other styles. Or is it just a result of a great vintage (2017)?
J. Bouchon Pais Viejo 2019
I’m not often happy with Chilean wines. But this one is different, not just good, but exciting, even though it’s not expensive.
High-end grüner veltliner: Veyder-Malberg Hochrain 2021
A real beauty. A fantastic grüner veltliner.