WTN: 8 Lembergers (Blaufrankisch)
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:48 am
I had several friends over for a Lemberger (Blaufrankisch) tasting, picnic and bonfire yesterday (9/5). However, due to the weather (cool, breezy and overcast) we held the festivities inside. Of course, I made too much food (grilled strip loin, watermelon salad, corn, olive tepenade, hummus, bruschetta, cheeses, etc.). Seven of us participated in the blind tasting of 8 wines. Most of the group can appreciate a good wine, but, except for me, none had ever scored wines blind before, so it was a fun experience. One of the group admitted to palate fatigue and simply scored the last 3 wines very low, so I tossed all those scores out.
No. Me Avg. Rank Wine
1. 15 14.2 6 2007 Keuka Springs (Finger Lakes)
2. 17 14.3 5 2006 Shooting Star Blue Franc (WA)
3. 13 14.8 3 2009 Don DeMaison's Estate Bottled (Niagara County, NY)
4. 16 11.3 8 2005 Glatzer (Austria)
5. 16 15.3 2 2009 Hart's (from Don DeMaison's grapes - Niagara County, NY)
6. 13 12.0 7 2006 Kiona (WA)
7. 17 15.5 1 2003 Goose Watch (Finger Lakes)
8. 18 14.5 4 2006 Neckenmarkt (Austria)
I have a few comments regarding the wines. Shooting Star is a CA winery that sourced it’s Lemberger from WA. I also liked the idea that they called the wine “Blue Franc”. Lemberger makes one think of stinky cheese and Blaufrankisch sounds foreign and one has to think about how to pronounce it, so would calling the grape and wine “Blue Franc” make it more appealing? While there were differences in the wines, it seemed to me there were a lot more similarities. For color and hue, none were inky dark, nor were any rosé-like. They were all solid, medium bodied reds. Based on standards for the NY State Fair, all but two of the wines would have been awarded medals. Don DeMaison is a friend and grape grower. He was one of the tasting group and both wines made from his grapes exhibited more pepperiness than the other wines. I’m not sure if this is terroir thing or because they were much younger than any of the others. The top scoring wine, 2003 Goose Watch (Finger Lakes) seems to indicate that wine from this grape can age nicely. A few folks from WA highly recommended the Kiona, so I purchased this when visiting there for my granddaughter’s 1st birthday in May. I was surprised that it scored so low. I detected some brett and it seemed to have a bit of residual sugar in the finish.
No. Me Avg. Rank Wine
1. 15 14.2 6 2007 Keuka Springs (Finger Lakes)
2. 17 14.3 5 2006 Shooting Star Blue Franc (WA)
3. 13 14.8 3 2009 Don DeMaison's Estate Bottled (Niagara County, NY)
4. 16 11.3 8 2005 Glatzer (Austria)
5. 16 15.3 2 2009 Hart's (from Don DeMaison's grapes - Niagara County, NY)
6. 13 12.0 7 2006 Kiona (WA)
7. 17 15.5 1 2003 Goose Watch (Finger Lakes)
8. 18 14.5 4 2006 Neckenmarkt (Austria)
I have a few comments regarding the wines. Shooting Star is a CA winery that sourced it’s Lemberger from WA. I also liked the idea that they called the wine “Blue Franc”. Lemberger makes one think of stinky cheese and Blaufrankisch sounds foreign and one has to think about how to pronounce it, so would calling the grape and wine “Blue Franc” make it more appealing? While there were differences in the wines, it seemed to me there were a lot more similarities. For color and hue, none were inky dark, nor were any rosé-like. They were all solid, medium bodied reds. Based on standards for the NY State Fair, all but two of the wines would have been awarded medals. Don DeMaison is a friend and grape grower. He was one of the tasting group and both wines made from his grapes exhibited more pepperiness than the other wines. I’m not sure if this is terroir thing or because they were much younger than any of the others. The top scoring wine, 2003 Goose Watch (Finger Lakes) seems to indicate that wine from this grape can age nicely. A few folks from WA highly recommended the Kiona, so I purchased this when visiting there for my granddaughter’s 1st birthday in May. I was surprised that it scored so low. I detected some brett and it seemed to have a bit of residual sugar in the finish.