Unbottled – Weninger Blaufraenkisch Kalkofen

I do have a week spot for Blaufraenkisch. This Austrian red wine is deeply rooted in our family’s history. Naturally, when I get the chance to buy an aged bottle, I just cannot resist. In this case, this is a late release from Franz Weninger from the Kalkofen vineyard.

The Blaufraenkisch grapes grow on the coolest sites of the Weninger's vineyards on very chalky soils. After the manual harvest in October, the grapes macerate on their skins for two weeks in wooden vats. Next, the ageing takes place in 500 l oak barrels for 20 months. The wine was bottled in July 2017.

One of the best Blaufraenkisch

Even with the first whiff, the wine won me over completely. It starts with ripe, meaty fruits reminding me of brandied cherries. You can also find some refined oak spices, a hint of glue as well as wet clay. In the taste, there were a bunch of dark red fruits, even a touch of currants, but still enough acidity to keep the wine fresh. Towards the aftertaste the chalk came through and very silky tannins. All in all, this was one of the best Blaufraenkisch I ever tried, I even started a second page in my little notebook where I write down my tasting notes.