ESTERHÁZY | Leithaberg DAC | Blaufränkisch | 2015
blaufränkisch

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The wine we are are going to review today is special and unique in its own way, as this is a single-varietal blaufränkisch wine from the famous Leithaberg region in Austria – Leithaberg DAC Blaufränkisch 2015 by Esterházy. Leithaberg is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the world, situated on the Burgenland side of the Leitha Range, west of Lake Neusiedl. The wines made here carry the signature of the soils, with acidic, crystalline schist and gneiss between limestone-rich layers, which brings a slightly salty note and an element of elegance to the wines. Lake Neusiedl helps producers to tame the ripeness to the grapes with its warm winds, while the mountains lend nocturnal coolness, which enhances freshness and vivacity. To create the Leithaberg DAC wine, the must was fermented for 18 days in large wooden vats and then the wine has been aged for 12 months in used, 500-liters barrels. After bottling, the wine is aged in the bottle for another year to round up and settle down before being released. That said, without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
concentration: medium & pale
colour: ruby
clarity: clear
hue/rim: garnet

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful
fruit profile: red fruits & black fruits
__red fruits: rose hips | red currant | cranberry | dried cherry
__black fruits: black plum | blackcurrant
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: vegetal | spice | oak | animal | earth
__vegetal: dried leaves | forest floor
__spice: red pepper | nutmeg 
__oak: roasted oakwood | sweet tobacco
__animal: leather | itron
__earth: salt | compost
__wood: old /  medium
aroma: primary | secondary | tertiary

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: med(+)
__grip: green
body: medium
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
complexity: complex

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: spice
finish: med(+)
aftertaste: velvety

//Scoring
ESTERHÁZY | Leithaberg DAC | Blaufränkisch | 2015
variety: blaufränkisch
country: Austria
region: Leithaberg
rating: 92.0

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime
verdict: great
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This is definitely a great wine of Austria and, with a total of 92.0 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is definitely one of the finest wines we’ve tasted so far – a wine that might spend a bit more time in the bottle (1 or 2 years should suffice) yet it is definitely right there, at the summit of its prime form. It tastes dusty, fruity-savory and crisp, with hints of saltiness and a fine-tannic grip on the mouthfeel. The wine feels elegant and well structured, with a medium body and mouth-watering acidity. It also provides a full spectrum of primary and secondary aromas, as well as hints of tertiary flavours, which combined with a touch of alcoholic warmth delivers an explosion of amazingly nuanced scents that are virtually impossible to name. Prost!
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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.