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We've reviewed wines from Zehnthof Luckert before, and have not so far been disappointed. Today, we turn to Blauer Silvaner, being a blue-skinned variety of Silvaner that is not, as Jancis Robinson's authoritative "Oxford Companion to Wine" proclaims, merely a speciality of Württemberg, but also found along the river Main in Franconia.

If the Luckert family wants to send a bottle of this to Jancis Robinson as proof of that, I suggest they go ahead, because they certainly need not be ashamed of it:

Straw-coloured, smelling of ripe apples, flowers, especially camomile, honey, the first impression is a rather unseasonal whiff of elegant decay. What can I say, it's there. Very mineral-driven on the palate, yellow fruit dominating, ripe without being heavy or overdone, mild acidity without being bland, the beginnings of maturity, another hint of bitterness in the finish - I don't usually need to have that in wine, but here, it's very elegantly done. Very good indeed.

With this versatile and original white, faintly reminiscent of northern Italian varieties like Roero Arneis, the Luckert family once again proves their standing within the stylistic avant-garde of Franconian winemaking. Hats off.