Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Similar to the Sauvingons, the Chardonnays from southern Styria have their unique style - neither French nor New World. These are very much mountain wines - more linear, cool, clear and with brilliant minerality. Thankfully, they still fly under the radar.
Quite restrained nose, very fresh, cool, mineral, with some fresh meadowherbs (lemon balm, dandelion), shy lemon peel, a hint of yellow stone fruit in the background.
On the palate this is focused, precise, tightly wound around a core of stony, salty minerality. Love the purity of the fruit and the juicy acidity. Very nice depth and great length. Highly drinkable, with nice complexity & elegance.

T — 6 days ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.2

This is a new wine from Salwey, first vintage is 2020. Pure Chardonnay, Burgundian clone.
And a really nice one!
Opens very quiet, quite cool, fresh - with some shy apricot, linden flowers, some herbs in the background. Very elegant.
On the palate this shows wonderful purity and precision. The stony minerality is in the forefront and forms a backbone around which fresh yellow stone fruit and very subtle wood elements gravitate. Juicy and bone dry, this can come across as a bit austere but there’s great depth here, and really nice energy too!
Love it!!
— 11 days ago

Jakub Kalinowski

8.9

A very nice Crémant with fine, tiny, persistent bubbles, and a rounded mouthfeel. Brut nature yet not austere and highly drinkable.
A very nice bubble alternative from a place you’d unlikely pick. — a month ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

If you’re looking for a non-alc alternative that you can sip out of champagne glass and actually enjoy - this is really good! — 6 days ago

Jakub Kalinowski

8.9

A more modern, slightly funky approach to Chardonnay from the Seckinger brothers.
Limestone, used wood aging, slightly reductive in the nose with popcorn/sesame reduction, a touch herby plus a bit of ripe pear in the backdrop.
On the palate this is much more Chardonnay, overripe lemon, melon & a bit of pineapple, limestone minerality bringing freshness. Nicely balanced and with good purity even if not too much depth.
Needs a bit of fresh air on opening to let go of the reduction (2023 vintage!) but highly drinkable and only 12.5% alc, so quite safe.
A nice one for dipping but also holds its own with food. — 8 days ago

Jakub Kalinowski

8.9

Quite fruity in the nose and on the palate - crunchy apricots, a bit of white peach and ripe pear. Nicely balanced & with great purity. But the really interesting bit is the cool stony minerality underneath they adds depth & complexity.
A really nice one, also for sipping alone. — a month ago

Jakub Kalinowski

8.9

A perfectly decent, highly drinkable white Burgundy. Good but not great. — a month ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.3

Such an expressive nose - exotic spices, fresh & wilted flowers, dark cherry & fresh raspberry. So enticing, so fresh, so lovely. The nose is just a winner!
On the palate this is silky smooth, impeccably balanced with tannins that are quite present but so velvety smooth. The purity of fruit is just wow. Brilliant.
This is so seductive and erotic. You just can’t stop. And yet, there’s a hint of seriousness, complexity, quite some depth.
This is a singing beauty! A stunner! — 7 days ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

@Delectable Wine this the Schweigener Chardonnay.
From southern Pfalz, directly on the French border, this is very French in style, indeed. Very Chablis’esque.
Cool, crisp, quite modern, with decent wood present but the limestone minerality & austerity shining through.
Dried herbs, ripe lemons, yellow stone fruit. A touch of red apple perhaps. Fresh & zippy. The wood is (already now) very nicely integrated, brining a slightly creamy mouthfeel and beautifully counter balancing the limestone minerality.
Nice depth & purity here. Great drinkability, too. A nice alternative to Chablis more than Cote de Beaune or Chalonnais.
Nice stuff! — 10 days ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.1

A truly lovely Cote Rotie.
Needs 5-6 hours of decanting to show the purity of black paired with cool black granite minerality.
Beautiful mouthfeel, with firm yet velvety tannins, amazing purity of petit and great depth.
Drinking beautifully and quite serious at the same time. Delicious stuff. — a month ago