Jermann Pinot Neros

HELLO EVERYBODY! Welcome to my blog, how's it going? I'm doing great, in case you're wondering. Why am I doing great, you ask? Because I had some absolutely outrageous wines this week. Wines that I've been looking for my entire life. Wines that I'll look back on one day, wishing I had just another day with them. Wines that will make all future wines live in the shadows of their spectacularity. Wines that will make me question why I ever even spoke to other wines in the past. Wines that will make me write unnecessarily long introductions to my blog posts.

If you can't tell, I'm excited to write about these wines. They're both pinot noirs (pinot nero, since they're Italian, really.) They are from the creative and artistic Jermann winemakers in the Venezia Giulia area of Italy. Jermann has historically created some spectacular wines, and the two that I've had this week lived up to their old standards. They were beautiful, engaging, and they both put a huge smile on my face. They were good.

We'll start with the Jermann Red Angel on the Moonlight 2008. Read that name again. Beautiful. Good start.

In color the wine showed a dark red, slightly see-through, hint of a ruby shine. That shine, in my opinion, comes from the beautiful texture and body of the pinot noir grape. The color justified the wine's label, making me think of a serene, chilly night in Venice (near where the wine was made.) I can imagine the gondole in Venice riding in channels of the wine throughout the city. Quite a pretty scene.

The nose on the wine was excellent. The oak barrels used by Jermann are not French. Jermann ferments its wine in slovenian oak barrels, which gives their wine some very particular and unique characteristics. The Red Angel for instance, has an unmistakable potpourri dimension. The oak then comes out swinging, drenched in the floral and blackberry/plum mask of scent.

In flavor, the Red Angel I feel is second to very few. Its body was elegant, not too light and not too heavy. Silky and smooth, reminiscent of dried and live roses at the same time. The oak comes in on the mid-palate, completely transforming the flavor, leaving you with a subtle, yet powerful fruity finish. (By the way, did I mention the wine is only $17?)

I realize that I've written quite a lot for just one wine this episode, but I'm going to go ahead and power through on to the next one as well. I'd feel horrible not giving this next wine the same attention and care as I did the last, it certainly deserves it.

The next bottle of wine I had this week was the Jermann Blau & Blau 2008. Another pinot nero, this time comprised of two genetic pinot noir cousins, 90% Blaufrankisch and 10% Blauburgunder. This combination made a spectacular wine. A wine that quite frankly, I think is right up there with the first wine I've reviewed in my entire blog, 2011's #1 rated wine itself, the Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 2009.


I'm not sure about this 100%, but I believe that the winemaker dedicated this wine to his daughter, who picked the name and picture to appear on the label of the wine.

The color was a dark and beautifully pure violet red. Nothing would pass through its depth of color, unless I put the glass under the right light, where I could see right though it. It had a beautiful roundness about it, something that you'd have to see to know what I'm trying to express. 

Its nose was more interesting, somehow, than the Red Angel's. More juicy, a clove vector piecing my nose, and forest scents underneath. If you ever want to just smell something (yes, just smell something) this is the thing to smell. There's so much going on, I was able to break it down, dissect the individual scents and isolate the others. It's that slovenian oak!

The flavor was elegant, slightly dry, and oh so smooth. The blackberries and red currant flavors burst through, really giving my taste buds a smack. There was a slight flower note of flavor, but mostly I could taste the fruit and I was overwhelmed by its full texture. The wine, although just a sip at the moment, felt as if it filled my entire mouth. A freshness overcame me, and the lush flavors of fruit paired with the forest oak qualities created something truly remarkable. This is a wine I won't soon forget. 

Wow! That was quite a bit of blogging. I apologize for the pretentious writing this time around, as you should know by now, that's not my style. It's just that these wines brought out something else in me this week. At any rate, I think I know what wine I'll be bringing to my daughter's wedding in 30 years. Have a nice week, fellas, and thanks for reading!