2012 Lenz Moser Prestige Blaufränkisch

Note from Irene: After many years of nagging convincing, I finally got the Wineaux Guy™ to write a review. For those of you who know me, you know that he is the one who introduced me to “good” wines a little over two and a half decades ago, and for that, I will always be grateful. In his first “official” post, he shares his experience with the Blaufränkisch (the what?!?) that he tasted a few evenings ago.

Enjoy!

2012 Lenz Moser Prestige Blaufränkisch

I heard about it, I saw it, I experienced it, and now here I am.

I was watching a documentary about Los Angeles when I heard comments from a somm in LA. She was touting an alternative to Pinot Noir for cuisine that would normally pair with that wine. She mentioned an Austrian wine called Blaufränkisch. She mentioned similar characteristics for appearance, taste, and intensity, but with more tannic influence.

I mentioned this wine to my favorite wine guru (aka VegasWineaux), who promptly gave me a brief history of the wine and its geographical area. However, she has not had the experience “in the glass.” I was in my local Barons market when I noticed just such a wine just sitting there…as though waiting for me. I did not disappoint and purchased the 2012 Lenz Moser Prestige Blaufränkisch at a very reasonable price (about $12.00).

I did what I was told. I took pictures of the bottle, front and back before opening. It was a screw cap, which wasn’t a big surprise considering the price. I poured a glass and took a picture. I made preparations for this tasting. I munched on some inexpensive genoa salami to prepare my palate. I really wanted to see what this wine could do.

The wine was similar in appearance to a Russian River Pinot Noir, but then so would an inexpensive Malbec or Cabernet. The nose was interesting; somewhat like Camembert that hasn’t softened. A funky odor was there, but it was surprisingly pleasant.

First taste and last taste changed very little. As expected, I noted tannins, but not overwhelming and very velvety. It had good mouthfeel, and the residual finish lingered but was not pronounced. Every once in a while, I would get an interesting floral influence, but it was hard to detect and quickly dissipated.

I liked the wine. The temperature was a little warmer than I like and would recommend appropriate cooling for service. You would be happy drinking this with many of the foods compatible with Pinot Noir. Clearly, this is a good wine for tasting parties if you want to “stump your tasters”!

*******

Another note from Irene:  TWG™ and I talked when he was sampling this on the second day. He indicated that the Pinot characters that he’d been expecting on the first day came through on the second day, which was a surprise. He also said that it hadn’t lost anything after being opened overnight and still tasted fresh.