July 18, 2023 - Not pleasing.
November 22, 2020 - Decanted before serving. So much sediment! As weird as most of his wines. Incredibly pale color with lots of earth, mature red berries, rhubarb, sweet spice and just a little too much decay on the nose. Similar flavors with intriguing textures and length, but much more interesting than tasty. Wine went downhill quickly after open an hour+.
January 5, 2017 - Wow. I don't know if I'm winning the lottery with these well-showing bottles or what, but this one was a show stopper. Pale as can be on pop and pour, which belies the graceful power of this wine in the glass. Blackcurrant, violet, and clove, with a little bit of alcohol showing and maybe the tiniest bit of funk. Drinks like a Barolo made in the Jura, fruit and acidity strong up front, spicy mid-palate, smooth but intense tannin, and a long glimmering mineral finish. No more funk development on day two, just an increase in the intensity of spice. Definitely decant for sediment though.
July 7, 2016 - Pizza Night in the North Loop (Dave's Place, Mpls): This was vinegar and VA.
April 12, 2015 - mixed feelings on this wine...pleasant, but not something I would go back to buy again
June 27, 2014 - Well, this would best be described as fermented material, perhaps wine. Better than other Franks I've had. I don't buy his stuff any more and, really, could a bit of 1900's technology not be used to improve this thing. Obvious bottle fermentation despite very good storage conditons, this is best served at 55 and kept there during it's life. I'll give it credit for a nicely lifted nose of rhubarb and freshly crushed grapes. It's frizzant, with some orange peel, sour milk (yeah, the beginning of that nasty lacto stuff), tar and maybe just a hint of Pinot Noir cherry. Momma took a couple sips and said "kind of nasty, it's all yours. This tastes like lazy winemaking, not natural winemaking". I won't miss Frank, you can have 'im.
February 26, 2014 - Based on vintages 2007 and 2008, blended together. Aged in underground clay amphorae.
There is more than an inch of deposit in the bottom of the bottle, thus the wine is decanted carefully into a decanter. The color is clear, pale pomegranate red with almost colorless rims; by its appearance this is obviously lighter in color than Munjebel 4. The nose is not that expressive, but instead quite complex, expressing aromas of sweet, sunny dark cherry aromas, cherry marmalade and some bretty farmyard funk. Also the alcohol (14%) shows a little. On the palate the wine is quite intense, vibrant and sinewy with bone-dry flavors of raspberries, sour plums, tart red fruits and very acid-driven lingonberry brightness. Underneath all that red and dark fruit, there is some complex spiciness and bitterness from the rather prominent tannins. Body-wise, the wine seems a bit smaller than Munjebel 4, with only medium-bodied mouthfeel, but also showing more power and robust character with great balance between the fruit, the body and the structure. The finish is not that long, but it is clean as a whistle with mouth-cleansing acidity and intense, vibrant flavors of tart red berries, sour cherries, some volcanic smoke and hints of complex, roasted spiciness.
Even though might one expect this one to be markedly lighter than the previous Munjebel, this one actually shows a lot more focus, balance and intensity. All in all, this is something not unlike a big, vinous kriek lambic – only without the carbonation: a quite tightly knit, grippy and structured Munjebel with high acidity and grippy tannins, resulting in a bone-dry wine that might be quite hard-to-approach for many. As the wine still seems very fresh and youthful, more years in the cellar definitely couldn't hurt. I suggest not only giving the wine more age and decanting it carefully (because of the big amount of deposit) before serving, but also pairing it with something hearty enough to let the acidity and the tannins mellow down a bit.
February 26, 2014 - Perfumy nose with sweet dried fruit, bitter orange, raspberries, violets, clove and some leafy notes.
Medium bodied and nicely tannic palate with good weight of ripe berry fruit through the palate. Not the most complex Munjebel I've had, but very nice.
November 29, 2013 - Sum of it 90, some 92+.
August 14, 2013 - Wow this wine is showing well.