CIAO! TERRA NONNO BLAUFRANKISCH 2018 IMPRESSES! (NJ)

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So I participated in a tasting offered by the Garden State Winegrower's Association about New Jersey Blaufrankisch. The program was over overseen by Tom Cosentino and David Furer. Noted wine grape geneticist Dr. José Vouillamoz, best known for his foundational contribution to Wine Grapes, led a Zoom presentation for a limited number of US wine media about the grape Blaufränkisch/Lemberger on Friday, April 30, 2021 on behalf of Garden State Wine Growers Association.  In addition to his talk about the history of the grape, Dr. Vouillamoz also conducted a tasting of five New Jersey Blaufränkisch wines with the assembled media. Just thrilled they called me media, because I have been called much worse. 

Blaufränkisch (German for blue Frankish) is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety, produces red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character. DNA profiling has shown that Blaufränkisch is a cross between Gouais blanc (Weißer Heunisch; male parent) and Blaue Zimmettraube (female parent; the offspring of Blauer Gänsfüsser). Historical sources of grapevine classification have provided very solid evidence that the geographic area of origin of the variety is Lower Styria (today Slovenian Styria). In America the grape is also known as Lemberger, Blauer Limberger or Blue Limberger and is grown in Pennsylvania, Washington state, Michigan, New Jersey, Idaho, New York, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, and California. 

Terra Nonno Winery has been family owned and operated by the Pipitone Family for Three generations. Terra Nonno translated to English means “grandfather’s land.” The farm was in their family for generations, and was converted to a vineyard in 2014. The grapes harvested here make their signature wines. On April 14th, 2018 Terra Nonno bottled its first batch of wine from their first 2016 harvest. They currently offer Blaufrankisch, Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, and several blends. They are located in Millville, New Jersey.

The Terra Nonno Blaufrankisch French Oaked 2018 is from the Outer Coastal Plain AVA. Right off the bat, I smelled cherries and dark raspberries as well as hints of spices and leather. For some reason I was reminded of Italian wine from the first sniff all the way through the palate. This wine very much reminded me of a terrific Italian wine, maybe like a Langhe Nebbiolo? The palate started off with dark fruit as well. A really drinkable wine. A terrific food wine. Loved this wine! Great job to the  Pipitone Family!