Wines that have got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP, part 4 of 6

​

Only the wines that still have aging potential (the largest majority of the wines here) and the few others that have no aging potential but are still in really good condition to drink are shown here. This applies regardless of the year in which the wine/wines was/were tasted. Note that if some wine has aging potential, it appears from the wine's description.

​

Wines that have got 3,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP   Wines that have got 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP   Wines that have got 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP   Wines that have got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP

​

Part 1 of 6   Part 2 of 6   Part 3 of 6   Part 4 of 6   Part 5 of 6   Part 6 of 6

​

Enjingi, Venje, Bijelo, 2008, white dry blend wine, Kutjevo, Slavonia, Croatia, 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points) (03-11-2019 by Nenad Jelisic)

 

Unlike the 2006 vintage, this fabulous vintage is considerably more tannic, but still very complex and concentrated. Big and complex aroma and very dry, fresh and mineral flavour. Extremely long and very flavourful aftertaste. Better to say the wine never stops growing/developing in the glass. Clear aroma of dried fruits, sweet spices, peaches, honey, white flowers, yellow apples and yellow pears. Clear flavour of orange peel, honey melon, peaches, dried fruits, lime, sweet spices, yellow apples, honey and yellow pears. Enjingi Venje Bijelo 2008 will fit really well with grilled cod fillet with hollandaise sauce and roasted small potatoes or with bouillabaisse or crawfish etouffee or with cold smoked salmon with horseradish-crème fraiche and dill fried potatoes or with toast skagen. It should start drinking at about 8°C from large Burgundy glasses from Orrefors, Riedel or Spiegelau. Venje is always made from these five grapes: 20% Riesling, 20% Grasevina (Welschriesling), 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Gewurztraminer and 20% Pinot Gris. The grapes are organically grown, and all the grapes are harvested by hand. The vines are between 30 and 50 years old. The soil on which the aforementioned grapes grow consists of about 30 cm of very rocky clay soil on the top of weathered magmatic rock. The grapes are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks under a controlled temperature between 15 and 20 degrees. Only the natural yeast, which comes from vineyards, is used. After the fermentation, the wines are blended together and first aged in 225 litres new oak barrels (barrique) from the Slavonia in Croatia for at least 18 months and then in stainless steel tanks for at least 12 months. After the aging, the wine is bottled, without fining, and aged for at least 12 months more. The wine is only produced during exceptional years. This vintage is the latest. Before it, the wine was produced in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2006. The quantities are very limited. Everyone who knows a little about white wines knows that the largest majority of white wines should/shall be drunk young i.e. 1 to 3 years old, but this rule does not apply to Enjingi's Venje. The wine is already 11 years old and wonderful to drink now, but that it will even better show its fabulous complexity, it should be aged for 5 more years until i.e. 2024. After those five years, the wine will continue to develop for at least 10 more years, i.e. until 2034. In 2004, Enjingi Venje Bijelo 1998 got both a gold medal, the best white cuvée wine for the entire Central and Eastern Europe, and the International Trophy, the world's best white cuvée from the prestigious wine magazine Decanter and its Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). I am convinced that if Enjingi would send Enjingi Venje Bijelo 2008 to DWWA, it would also be selected among some of the world's best wines again.

 

Steyer, Kraljevo vino, Diseci Traminec, Ledeno vino, 2011, white sweet wine, Stajerska, Slovenia, 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points) (01-09-2019 by Nenad Jelisic)

 

Wow, what the wine! This is probably the world's best ice wine made of Gewurztraminer, and the Steyer winery is probably the world's best producer of ice wines made of Gewurztraminer. In any case, I have never tasted better ice wines made of Gewurztraminer than those from the Steyer winery and I have tasted many. So far, the winery has produced only six vintages of this fabulous wine: 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2011. Three of these (1999, 2001 and 2011) have been tasted by NJ Wines and all have got NJP 5,0 of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points). Bravo Steyer! Balance between the sweetness and the acidity is absolutely incredible in this vintage. It was a pure joy to taste/drink this fantastic wine. Steyer Kraljevo vino Diseci Traminec Ledeno vino 2011 has at least a 30 years long aging potential, i.e. until at least 2049. Note that it is already 8 years old. The aftertaste is extremely long, better to say, it almost never disappears from the mouth. Very sweet, extremely complex, honey-like and mineral-like, almost salty, flavour with dried fruits, citrus fruits, orange peel and sweet spices. An explosion of aroma of incredible complexity with honey, sweet spices, raisins, dried figs, orange peel, citrus fruits and yellow pears. Kraljevo vino Diseci Traminec Ledeno vino 2011 should be enjoyed with grilled goose liver, which is the best combination with the wine, or with fruit salad consisting of orange, white grapes, mango, kiwi and a little of this wine or with tasty cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton or without any food at all, just enjoy its enormous complexity, taste and aroma. It should be drank at 8°C from Riedel Vinum Extreme Rose/Ice wine or Orrefors Difference Sweet or Orrefors Elixir. The soil on which the grapes for the wine grow consists of marl (a clayey soil that contains a lot of lime). The grapes are harvested, destemmed and sorted by hand. Then they are pressed very slowly and very gently for a three-day period. The fermentation takes place in old oak barrels from France, which hold 200 to 300 litres, over a two-month period and a controlled temperature of 12 and 15°C. The aging takes place in the same oak barrels as the fermentation has been done for a period of 24 to 36 months. The harvest usually takes place during the month of January. According to the Slovenian rules, the temperature must be at least minus 7°C, three days in a row, before the harvest may begin. This vintage began to be harvested in January, after the temperature was under minus 12°C, three days in a row. The wine is only produced during exceptional years and in very small quantities. Only 933 0,375 litre bottles were produced of this vintage. Finally, and not least, Kraljevo vino means Royal wine, Diseci Traminec means Gewurztraminer and Ledeno vino means Ice wine.

​

Previous page   Next page