B.L.K. Cup 2012 (Part 2): Weingut Krutzler Blaufränkisch Reserve 2003, Südburgenland

The Austrian representative in my personal B.L.K. Cup 2012 comes from Südburgenland and was produced by one of the most famous names in the southern Burgenland wine realm: Reinhold Krutzler from Krutzler Winery in Deutsch-Schützen Eisenberg right on the southern border to Hungary. The Blaufränkisch grapes for the Reserve 2003 were cultivated on iron’y clay and slate soils in Eisenberg and Deutsch-Schützen and were aged in large and small oak barrels for approx. 18 months. Like in most parts of Central Europe the summer of 2003 was exceptionally hot and dry. In a lot of cases B.L.K. wines benefited from those circumstances. Sometimes not! Let’s see how this one presented itself:

The colour of the Reserve was opaque garnet red and glinted rather fresh and juvenile considering its advanced age. The nose showed plenty of complexity right from the start. I sensed a large amount of black currants, some dark cherries, light and civilized liquorice, barn (preferably with animals inside), spicy dark brown gravy, black pepper, some hints of moss, roasted pine nuts, slightly steamed black olives and later that evening attributes of dark chocolate and charcoal. Three to four hours after opening the nose signature appeared to me as very sophisticated and full of rough, but in its own way elegant, charm. The taste showed pretty much the same highly refined and subtle aromas. Once again I got plenty of black currants, some more dark cherries, maybe some blue elder, very balanced black pepper, some olives, very mildly proportionate liquorice and very appealing dark nut-choco. The acid proportion was THE big advantage of this wine. In combination with the already described fruitful and earthy complex, the perfectly adapted acid provided this Blaufränkisch with a miraculously (for 2003) lively structure. Luckily this wine remained a more or less typical South Burgenland Blaufränkisch. It wasn't overpowered nor over concentrated like quite some fellows from other parts in Austria and Württemberg. Pure, silky, refined elegance with a slight tart (or butch) impact! Really great stuff!

To be continued with ... ???