WTN: Super-Bojo & Blaufränkisch

Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Côte du Py "James" 2007
28,80€; 13% abv. Gamay from 50 yo vines from a high area of Côte du Py. This is aged for a year in three times used barrique. On the whole I found this '07 more enjoyable than the '06 (though I would love to try both side by side in five or so years - I think I might very well prefer the '06 with age because of its tough structure). The '06 was tough and not fun; the '07 is still tough but at least it is pleasurably tough. There is a bit of liquorice on the nose - I suppose faint, spicy vestiges of oak can be found even after it has been used thrice - but otherwise it is quite impressive. I might criticize this wine for being perhaps more Burgundian than Morgonian - with its vegetal, masculine, dark fruit style and strong tannins it reminds me of Faiveley. Refreshing, crunchy, gravelly. Impressive and really cries out for more age. I think someone in the Wine Advocate (would that be Schildknecht?) was very impressed with this wine. If it was Schildknecht, would someone with access to such information, let me know how he liked it? I do very much appreciate his tastes.

Weingut Familie Prieler Blaufränkisch Johanneshöhe 2006 - Neusiedlersee-Hügelland
18,40€; 13% abv.It has been about 1,5 years since I last tried this, so it was high time to retry it. I liked it when it was younger but did find a bit too much reduction and lactic aromas on day one - it was a wine that improved drastically with extended airing. Now, however, I have a big smile on my face just ten minutes after opening. A slightly funky scent, lovely bright berry aromas, peppery like a Syrah. Juicy, fun and gravelly like the best Gamay, it has good grip and is refreshing and moreish. Nice wine!

Though neither wine was Burgundy proper, both were enough in that direction to be perfectly charming with the food. So it was a fun evening (unlike, I suspect, tomorrow morning).

[David M. Bueker]

It was Schldknecht! He was impressed really with all facets of the wine (refreshing, fine-grained tannins, ripe but tart red fruit, etc) & suggested following it for 4 or 5 years. He gave it a 91which is actually an even better score than one might think given that David is a relatively conservative reviewer.

re: Blaufränkisch, there used to be tons of this planted in Washington State back in the day (AKA Lemberger) and I remember making about 30 gallons from grapes I bought from Peter Brehm in the late 80's; the wine was a real delight to drink: dark, perfumed, spicy, with mouth-rinsing acidity!

It's a shame you don't see much/any of this around from the NorthWest any more! It goes really well with salami, cheeses, olives, bread, and sotto-aceti (i.e. charcuterie, fromage, cornichons).

marco

re: Blaufränkisch, there used to be tons of this planted in Washington State back in the day (AKA Lemberger) and I remember making about 30 gallons from grapes I bought from Peter Brehm in the late 80's; the wine was a real delight to drink: dark, perfumed, spicy, with mouth-rinsing acidity!

It's a shame you don't see much/any of this around from the NorthWest any more! It goes really well with salami, cheeses, olives, bread, and sotto-aceti (i.e. charcuterie, fromage, cornichons).

marco

I'm making my first batch of Lemberger this year with fresh, local grapes planted by an old acquaintance a few years ago. I have a 6.5 gallon carboy aging on oak chips now. Will probably bottle it in April or may and like what I've tasted so far.

There's still quite a bit of Lemberger in the Pacific Northwest, and I suspect the acreage devoted to it may be larger than it was in the past given the number of new wineries vinifying it. Washington State Lemberger wineries include old stand-bys Thurston Wolfe, Hogue and Kiona along with several relative newcomers including Two Mountain, Steele, Fair Winds, Olympic Cellars, and Harbinger. Someone else may have a complete list of the wineries and my guess is it's a lot longer than mine as my list came from memory and only a couple of minutes of Googling.

I was surprised to find that some Lemberger is grown in Washington's Champoux, arguably one of the three or four finest vineyards in the state. (Champoux Cabs and Merlots command big bucks.)

Something else Google unearthed -- which I'd never heard of before -- is a claim that Lemberger is "often" blended with Pinot Noir. Seems strange as historically not much Pinot has been grown in Washington. So please don't quote me.

I might criticize this wine for being perhaps more Burgundian than Morgonian

I feel cheated whenever this happens to a any cru Beaujolais. No matter how good it might/could be "objectively," I can´t seem to get past the betrayal of expectations and have a hard time enjoying it.