Monarchia Cellars Noir 2003

Monarchia Cellars Noir 2003
Eger, Hungary ($9)

Every once in a while I get motivated. If you read the date of my last post on this site, you might think it's been a long time coming. I think the downside of geeking out on wine is that your taste may get more expensive with time. In my case, the desire to try New York State wines and boutique winery offerings has led to less wine consumed at a higher price point. Now I admit that this weblog was meant to find those best buy gems from anywhere, so tonight I'm going back to the roots of this blog because I found one of those intriguing under $10 wines.

Lately I've been seeking out cool climate wines that would do well in NYS. I know Cab Franc does well throughout the state of New York, and I've tasted a hell of a lot of it over the last two years. So now I'm tasting Lemberger, aka Blaufrankish, aka Kekfrankos, aka ect... I've tried some Washington State examples, some NYS, as well as some from its home in Austria. Most are in the $15- $20 range and they have been hit or miss. Well this time I found an under $10 bottle from Hungary at Premier Wines in Buffalo.

This is a 100% Kekfrankos (Lemberger) wine is bursting with blackberry aromas. I also get a pinch of bell pepper and smoke on the nose as well. Medium bodied with ample acidity, it stood up well to my hot sausage and peppers hoagie, and the next day it even complimented my meat ragu I've perfected thanks to Mr. Batali. This wine doesn't bring a lengthy finish, but I think it's as long as any Lemberger wines I've had from NY or Austria. For under $10 it's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. If your into Cab Franc, Lemberger, Zweigelt, or even Gamay, this should impress for the cost. Not so much a sipping wine, but with dinner, it rocks with a style of its own. My grade: B

Comments

[Mark Marino]

Yes, it is a by product of investigation to improve one's tasting and appreciation. I agree, yes, this usuallly leads to the more expensive wines that in fact taste better!

One alternative I have found is to search out fruit owners. If you find a say Cab you like, investigate the vineyard from which the fruit that makes it originates. Often I have found that the fruit is owned my another and those people make a wine from that same fruit. Since they as producers do not pay for that fruit they can often produce their wine at much less cost! The Limo D! http: winelimo.typepad.com