Top-notch Blaufränkisch – Homola Kékfrankos 2015

An unexpected gift. On the one hand Lake Balaton has never been high on my search list when looking for a great bottle of kékfrankos, on the other hand had it not been on sale at half price (clearance before the new vintage hit the shelves) I would never have given it a thought. As it happened, I bought a bottle, tasted it the same day and returned the next day for the remaining stock (3 bottles in all). Continue reading “Top-notch Blaufränkisch – Homola Kékfrankos 2015”

Reasons to be cheerful – Alte Keller Szendehely Zweigelt 2017

I wasn’t exactly over the moon when I realized that as none of my fellow bloggers showed any interest in tasting a zweigelt made by a no-name winery in a non-wine region the unenviable task of assessing the wine and then in all likelihood crushing the dreams of a young winemaker fell on me. It took me some weeks to pluck up my courage and take the plunge. Continue reading “Reasons to be cheerful – Alte Keller Szendehely Zweigelt 2017”

Stylish – Ch de Fonbel 2015 St-Émilion

A merlot of good provenance, from a good vintage, at just about affordable price but safely above the danger zone. The owner is Alain Vauthier of Ch Ausone fame, the region is St-Émilion, the vintage is the first „vintage of the century” since 2010, the price is around €30. With the 2016 Ch Pey la Tour failing to cut the mustard and thus losing the title of the cheapest visual aid for „Bordeaux for Dummies” courses, Fonbel is a good candidate to fill the vacancy. Continue reading “Stylish – Ch de Fonbel 2015 St-Émilion”

Sweet Little Sin – Palacios Remondo La Vendimia 2017

Officially Rioja but shows no resemblance to the standard style – this is a garnacha fruit bomb, not a savoury, elegant tempranillo. Rioja Baja, where the grapes come from is closer to Navarra both in terms of climate and varietal selection than to the „real” Rioja (Alta & Alavesa). Vendimia started out as a carbonic macerated young wine but since then seems to have grown in stature. Continue reading “Sweet Little Sin – Palacios Remondo La Vendimia 2017”

Mencía tour de force – Palacios Petalos 2016

Winner of the latest Decanter mencía panel test (March 2019 issue). Not having tasted the other 88 contestants, my approval is hilariously unfounded but this time I can easily believe that it’s the best (having tasted quite a few panel test winners over the years this is the exception rather than the rule). It also made it to Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list in 2018. Continue reading “Mencía tour de force – Palacios Petalos 2016”