Bovin “ Superior wines” tasting at Bovin winery on 07 June 08
Superior Merlot 2004
Beautiful red brilliant colour with a slightly brown edge. The wine itself has very rich and deep strawberry fruit on the nose, presented in a creamy pure frutella candy along with layers of Provence herbs. The palate has a similarly jammy character, with a silky composition and an elegant style. Pure concentrated strawberry fruit, with some dark raisins dancing through the mid-palate. The tannins and acidity are exquisitely integrated and there is great harmony throughout. An excellent terroir, a lot of sun and late harvested grapes are stimulating all my senses. Stunning!
Superior Cabernet 2004
More dark red purple than the Merlot and less liable towards the aging process. This wine has a very vibrant concentrated cassis black berry fruit nose, bright and direct in character, with a creamy honeyed southern spiced edge to tone it up. The palate is textured and fills out nicely with an intense dark concentrated jammy cassis character. This is a very ripe, supple style cabernet, with soft midpalate tannins building to a large cassis fruit over powering presence at the finish. It shows the warmth of the vintage and the late harvest in it’s structure. There is plenty here to recommend. I’m sold.
Superior Venus 2004
As expected this 70% Vranec and 30% Merlot wine, black in the middle, purple on the edges, sticking to the glass as glue predicts a hell of a drink. This blockbuster has a wealth of pure, nicely directed, luscious cherry plum strawberry fruit nose. There is a similarly high quality of deep concentrated and nicely composed powerful cherry fruit on the palate, with well covered soft tannins at the core, which show through on the midpalate. It has a rather large, chewy style, belying its big, structured character. And there is a more decent frame of acidity too. Needs some time in the glass. Very good indeed, with excellent potential. Quel tour de force.
Superior Daron 2004
This wine has 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet and 20% Vranec under the cork. Surprisingly my glass shows a dark roof tile red slightly brown edged coloured wine. Although a beautifully pure, dense, summer fruit nose here. Exotic, exuberant, spicy, full of sumptuous strawberry cassis cherry plum fruits. This opulent fruit is generously well integrated on the palate with a lovely creamy rich fruit bomb composition. Good mid-palate strawberry fruit substance and fleshiness, ripe beautifully hidden tannins and fine lifting acidity. Elegant but showing vigour. This God of good health combines all the top features of the three previous wines. A real delight. Kudos.
Superior DISSAN 2004
A great thick brilliant deep purple colour. This must be 100% Vranec. Let’s check the back label. A fabulous wonderful purity on the nose, with essence of liquorice black berry forest fruits, dark plums and sour cherries being the order of the day. This thunder has great depth and is clearly mucho impressive. The palate has an extremely ripe, balanced, rounded composition, it’s very firmly glued together, and has a silky, opulent harmonious character with lots of good acidity which is immediately appealing. There are ripe soft well integrated tannins showing only at the finish. Very nicely judged extract. Very fine indeed but will profit from 5 more years in the bottle. Great stuff. Remarkable.
Superior MERLOT Barrique 2004 – not commercialised yet, expected September 2008
Here we have a bursting dark red coloured wine with a deep rich purple core. Remarkable less brawny in colour than the Superior Merlot but again understandable when you know that this big brother was kept in new Berovo barriques for one year. Quite an impressive seductive evocative style apparent on the nose and palate, with all the aromatics and flavours of the Superior Merlot 2004 loaded with very generous elegant roasted new oak, mocha, round sweet toffee vanilla and a touch of creamy dark bitter chocolate. This already stunning delicious Merlot has gain more flesh and weight and expresses more complexity, dept, race, elegance and class. Of course needs time and decanting. Intense mind baffling stuff.
Superior CABERNET Barrique 2004 – not commercialised yet, expected September 2008
Dark red purple in colour this blockbuster doesn’t show any traces of aging when swirled. Again vibrant voluptuous concentrated jammy black berry, honeyed cassis fruit on the nose and palate topped with some gorgeous sweet coconut, crisp dark chocolate, discrete pencil shaving roasted new oak and some coffee mocha covered vanilla. Their seems nothing short in this elegant classy spectacular huge chewy well extracted focused wine. Au contraire. My believe… hidden in a line up of Bordeaux Grand Crus this mouth watering Hulk would firmly stand his ground. Better follow the serving tip on the back label. Of course needs time and decanting. A must to have in your cellar. Again Intense mind baffling stuff.
Post Scriptum
All the superior wines are made with late harvested dried in grapes from limited yields grown on the Lepovo Brdo vineyards and represent 5% of the entire Bovin production which in view of their quality justify their higher pricing. All the aforementioned wines strongly deserve to be decanted and served between 16-18 degrees. Follow the tips on the back label and let the wine speak for itself. Cheers…
Personal note
I would like to cordially thank Mr Kiril and Gjorgji Bogevski for their precious time spent and their generous hospitality giving me and Dave an opportunity to taste their wines in an ambiance of openness, willingness to listen and acceptance of criticism. These gentlemen told me that they were born in the wine cellar and the first thing they saw were grapes. You know what…I believe them.
Willy Buysse
