TASTING NOTES

Rich garnet-purple, clear, brightening edge. Dry, earthy entrance, iron, tobacco, truffle, leather, currants, dried herbs (thyme, rosemary). An almost salty appearance due to its pure minerality. The palate shows the sheer primal force of a raw Blaufränkisch. Intense and demanding astringency. Immense potential. An obviously unrivaled “Blaufränkisch terminator”.

René Gabriel, WeinGabriel.ch

It’s a bit stinky on the nose, animal and glowering. Lots of inky black behind the portcullis of tannins. Charred rosemary. You feel this wine from beginning to end. Has depth in the middle and verticality on the finish, but it’s moody and pushing back on the taster with gothic truculence. Needs some sweet-fruit lift. Will need decanting and food. (We tasted the 2019, delivered to our glasses via the plastic snow shovel used for gentle punching down. It was so different! Juicy and bursting with fruit, abundant. Much finer tannins. A good omen for future vintages.

Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com

VINIFICATION

20% whole cluster, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeast only, 30-45 days of maceration in 50hl oak fermenters. Aged for 24 months in 30hl oak casks. Barrel selection followed by an additional 27 months in 25hl oak casks. Unfined.