Teeling Franz Hahn Chardonnay Casks

Franz Hahn is a winemaker from Albersweiler in Germany. That's in the middle of the imagined triangle that you could make with Mannheim in the north, Saarbrücken in the west and Karlsruhe in the south (and therefore also close to the northern French border). They delivered some barrels of their Chardonnay wine to Teeling and got them back bottled a few months later. It is not surprising that my buddy and Belgium's biggest Teeling fan Benny was able to provide me with a sample again.

Teeling's DNA is nicely expanded – or enhanced, if you like –on the nose with peach, apricot, gooseberries, ripe grapes and butternut. Beautiful hint of white chocolate, vanilla and freshly sawn planks.

On the palate, the first thing that comes to mind is 'white wine'. Now that shouldn't come as a surprise, but here it's dominant. Looks like I'm drinking a white wine that has been in a whiskey barrel instead of the other way around. But it works, though. Nice and fresh and fruity – after the fruit of the nose now also some notes of agrum as well as white orchard fruit – with a nice spicy edge. Think licorice, a pinch of white pepper and even a grain of (non-proverbial) salt.

The finish is long, softly spicy and satisfying.

Nice wine finish. This is tasty. And all that for about 40 EUR. Thx, Benny!