KNOLL | Frankovka | 2019
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 Czech Republic‘s Moravia region – Frankovka 2019 by Knoll. Blaufränkisch is a very old, austrian grape variety that was previously widely-planted throughout the Habsburg Monarchy. It can yield wines with dense structure and prominent tannins that are often impetuous in their youth, but develop velvety facets when sufficiently ripe. Blaufränkisch shows an almost cabernet sauvignon like ability to adapt to different terroirs and to shows well, both as fruity, high-volume wines and as intense, full bodied, single vineyard examples. It is called limberger in Germany, franconia in Friuli, kékfrankos in Hungary, burgund mare in Romania and frankovka in Croatia and Czech Republic. This particular wine has been bottled unfiltered and unoaked in order to preserve the varietal characteristics of the grape variety. But enough theory – that said and 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
colour: pale ruby color
clarity: hazy indigo shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & clean
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits | blue fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | cranberry
__black fruits: blackberry | black plum
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy
__spice: red pepper | cloves
__oak: cherry tree bark | fresh oakwood
__savory: leather | hints of veal
__earthy: clay | granite | slate
primary layer: fruit

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium
tannin: low
__grip: fine
balance: good
__dominant: acidity
body: supple & lean | medium-

//Taste
fruit profile: blue fruits & red fruits
fruit character: underripe & ripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium+
aftertaste: crisp & seedy

//Scoring
KNOLL | Frankovka | 2019
variety: blaufränkisch
country: Czech Republic
region: Moravia
rating: 91.7

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or in the next 12 months
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Czech Republic and, with a total of 91.7 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 a fine blaufränkisch wine: fruity-earthy, crisp and seedy – a wine that is right there, at the peak of its prime form, yet one that can withstand another year of bottle ageing. It feels lean, supple and spicy, with overwhelming acidity and alcohol, seedy-green tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. On the nose, the wine delivers ripe blue & red fruits in the foreground, supported by an earthy & spicy background. All in all, this is a well structured, terroir-driven, cool climate wine, with a medium- body and a very pleasant, seedy-crisp aftertaste – a wine that has its own distinctive personality and the footprint of the Moravia terroir.

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