Unbottled – Kristinus Kosmo

Lately, I am very into natural wine. Not the one tastes like apple vinegar, but good one instead. In this case, the ‘Kosmo’ comes from renown Hungarian producer Kristinus. This also gave me an excuse to use my new Bordeaux glasses and decanter.

The grapes for the Kosmo grow at the South coast of the Lake Balaton. They come from the Kéthely, Parapli, Tavaszföld vineyards which are being converted to organic cultivation. The blend consists of 40 % Blaufraenkisch / Kékfrankos, 20 % Cabernet Franc, 20 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 % Merlot with the vines being at least 20 year old. Kristinus ferment the mash with natural yeast, partially in stainless steel, partially in 225 and 500 l used barrels. The new oak percentage is low. The wine ages for 16 months. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration and a minimal amount of sulphur.

Tannins and red fruits

The Kosmo greatly benefits from decanting, because of its pronounced tannin structure. In the nose, the wine starts with red fruit, sour cherries, black fruit and cassis. You can also find mineral notes in the aroma. Furthermore, you can find the same notes of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries in the taste. On top of that, there are hints of oak spices, minerals and a whiff of natural wine ‘funk’. The aftertaste is quite long with again red fruits and tannins. – Tasted from a Spiegelau Hi-Lite Bordeaux glass.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. For the wine Jens form Winekombinat Hugel gave me a discount.