Go East! ... or short 39 glipses behind the you know what ...

 ... well, the headline says already far too much about the humongous ignorance and the insatiable thirst of the author. No real news, I fear! To prevent me from writing even more nonsense ... which is absolutely impossible to achive, I'd like to keep this introduction as short as possible!  39 glimpses in 2023 were far too many to process in an adequate manner. As you are about to see right after this ... (having written that, there were quite a few spectacular viewings with tons of unique character and captivating flavour patterns ... so I'd go for it, if I were you) ...

Château Belá Riesling 2012, Štúrovo

It has been a while since my last encounter with this beautiful bold little ode to Riesling. I suppose it was the vintage 2007 or 2008. Then and today I was and am impressed by the heavy lushness and determined density of this Riesling from Slovakia. Well, of course there is the influence of Egon Müller from Germany's prominent winery Scharzhof in Wiltingen to guarantee quality in the vineyards and the cellar. Putting this fact aside there is a unique character to this Riesling which you probably cannot find in other regions or other Rieslings in this very wine world! I mean a certain close to brachial rich glazy boldness combined with refined elegant flowery impressions. Sounds contradictiv? Well, fair enough! Anyway, I start blathering lyrical wine-speak. We really don't want to read this! Don't we? Let's drop some rudimentary knowledge about Château Béla first! Château Belá is a joint venture of Egon Müller, as already mentioned, and family Krokow(-Ullman), Egon Müller's wife is a born Krokow, as well as the local vintner Miroslav Petrech. Since 2001 they produce Riesling (and some Cabernet Sauvignon and even Pinot Noir – well that would be a treat for a Pinot lover like me - for quite a while) from a few calcerous hectares in Štúrovo region in the south-west of Slovakia.