Magus, hapukas, karamelline, puidune, puuviljane, tsitrus. Hea - magusus, hapukus ja mõrudus on mõnusas tasakaalus.

The glorious Stille Nacht Reserva legend continues with this 2022 version, recently released after two years of ageing on Amarone di Valpolicella barrels - a kind of 'straw wine', named as such for being made of grapes that were (at least traditionally) dried on beds of straw, in this case a combination of northern Italian 'cépages'. Thick and frothy, pale greyish off-white, membrane-lacing, uneven-bubbled yet regular and stable head on an initially near clear, pale orange blonde robe with warm peachy glow and thin strings of sparkling running upwards here and there; misty and more deeply peachy with sediment. Strong and layered bouquet of dried fruit in the vein of dried grapes (or indeed raisins, yet less sweet), dried fig, dried blueberries and dried banana, vanilla from oak wood and actual wood, Pineau de Charentes, oxidized old dessert wine, white port, fresh croissants, chestnut honey, quince jam, a light earthy note of autumn leaves, fried apples, hints of melon, tea, tanghulu, dry biscuit, vaguer hints even of rosemary, honey-glazed pork, meadowsweet, sesame chicken in sticky sweet Asian sauce. Fruity onset, sweet with a slight sourish edge but not as sour as most previous editions in this series, golden raisins, cooked sweet apples, ripe pear, melon, candied fig - in a quite sharply carbonated environment, perhaps a bit much so for this kind of beer; some honeyish sugariness travels along a croissant- and biscuit-like malt body, while the Amarone effect, already 'palpable' in the beginning, picks up strength and eventually overshadows the palate, with its raisin-ish, desserty yet also somewhat tangy sweet-tart character, providing beautiful retronasal impressions of old white port, Pineau and oxidized Valpolicella wine. Minerally carbonation effects continue as well - a bit 'out of place', to be honest; then there is this lovely vanilla-like oak element and the woody tannins creeping in, in this case aided by the tannins from the Amarone. Subtle traces of earthy hop bitterness lurk beneath, while this elegant play of Amarone, dried fruit and sweet malts comes to a grand finale, displaying great complexity, vinosity and elegance. Another great addition to this splendid 'Belgian style barleywine' saga which will be the subject of folklore one day - but I must admit that the rather strong carbonation here distracts a bit from what is actually happening at a pure flavour level, a minor flaw that can and should of course be solved by more extended cellaring. Apparently the 75 cl bottles of Stille Nacht Reserva 2022 are distinct from this 33 cl version (which is a blend of the rest) in that they each represent a different barrique, the same as with the 2019 edition.

Bottle shared by E. Golden with white head. Wet wood, citrus, green grapes, oak. Quite tart, short tart finish. Highly interesting.

330ml bottle from the source, courtesy of Trevor. Cheers. Hazed deep amber. Slim off white head is lasting and semi lacing. Slightly leggy. Nose is big on the Amarone. Chocolate and sweet vine fruit. Tangy red and black cherry. Vinous and leathery oak. Taste is full on fruity tangy bittersweet. Soft vinous acidity. Drinks clean and easy with soft rolling carbonation. Tangy bittersweet finish. It’s bonkers good now, and I can imagine this will only get better. Lovely.

Almost clear golden colour, rather lively carbonation. Nose of lemon, wood, white wine, calvados. Tart and sweet. Great and complex sipper.