The Morning Claret

Modernist traditions of Istria

By Simon Woolf, 20/05/2012 in Obscure red grape varieties, Obscure white grape varieties and wine

Cattunar vineyards in March

Most people will have a view about the classic “old world” wine producing nations – France, well it’s expensive, the name of the grape isn’t on the bottle, they’re still the greatest wines in the world, and so forth. Spain – they use a lot of oak, it’s all about Rioja, er.. and they make good value fizz. Italy? A multitude of confusing grape varieties and regions, those funny straw bottles… and more cheap fizz from Prosecco. Going a little further off-piste, ask for opinions about wine from Portugal (well, it’s fortified, or Mateus Rose. Is there anything else?) or Hungary (Bulls Blood? Aren’t they a bit rustic? Ah and that lovely sticky stuff from Tokaj) you’ll probably still find well embedded views. But what about Croatia?

I’ve asked many wine lovers, foodies and near neighbours from Italy and Slovenia for impressions of the Croatian wine industry. Assuming I’m not just met with a blank stare, opinions range from derisory to neutral – but rarely upward from that. This is entirely undeserved, hence various previous posts about the numerous high quality wines emerging from Croatia. Most recently, I had the chance to spend a few days in North-Westerly Istria, in the company of some wine and food writers of rather more provenance than myself. I already felt comfortable with the wines from the region, but what I had previously struggled to do was to figure out the area’s “USP” or driving force.

Influences

Piquentum Winery

Istria wears a strong Italianate influence on its sleeve – particularly in terms of cuisine, which tends to focus on simple yet elegant treatments of the very high quality produce available in the region. I visited during the wild asparagus season, something of a delight as these slightly bitter, yet delightfully nutty vegetables are not commonly found in the UK. The favoured Istrian treatment is a dish of scrambled eggs, prsut and wild asparagus – quite delightful, especially if it’s cooked for you by wine-maker Mladen Roxanich (who also happens to be a chef, and a good one at that).

Yet the Italian influence is much less than the whole picture when it comes to wine. In some ways there are similarities between Friuli (Italy’s most North-Easterly wine region), Slovenia and Istria – the climate and soils have their similarities, but there are key differences too. For example, instead of the myriad local grape varieties in each sub-region (as you would expect to find in Italy), Istrian winemakers concentrate on just two indigenous grapes – Malvasija Istarska and Teran (which is related to Refosco, or Refosk to give it the local name).

Perhaps the biggest difference is down to recent history – in many ways, the modern Istrian winemaker started with a clean slate from the mid 1990s. Following the civil war, and collapse of communism in the former Yugoslavia, Istrians were once again free to make wine for themselves, rather than just delivering the years’ harvest to the government owned cooperative (which would knock out cheap glugging wine in vast quantities). Effectively, there was no serious quality production of wine until 1995 – and many of the region’s best producers have set up shop much more recently than that.

Attractive labels for the Trapan range

This “ground zero” approach is quite apparent when you visit local wineries. At Bruno Trapan‘s recently completed gleaming new winery, they talk about their “old vines”, and “new vines”. But the latter are not 40 year old gnarly “Vielle Vignes”. The old vines are a mere 15 years old, and the new ones still in nappies – at three years old, barely ready for production.

Bruno Trapan

The Trapan wines are made in a modern style – accessible and generally easygoing. There’s a conundrum here – Bruno’s vineyards are now certified organic, demonstrating a commitment to the land and its preservation. Yet in other respects, the production methods are quite interventionist, with cultured yeasts and numerous wood aging regimes (oak barriques plus some acacia barrel aging for the Malvasija). Micro-oxygenation and filtration are also used to achieve a consistently marketable product. The wines are pretty exemplary in terms of quality, but I felt they lacked the last degree of character. Still, with so much change and experimentation going on at Trapan, perhaps they need a few years to settle down?

Open grill in an Istrian Restuarant

Mladen Roxanich

In comparison, Mladen Roxanich believes in a more pragmatic approach to viticulture, which is neither full-blown organic or biodynamic – despite using many elements from both philosophies. For Mladen, it was “central to enter winemaking without any dogmas”. However, in the winery, his approach is ultra-traditional – in sharp contrast to Trapan. The wines are fiercely individual, with Malvasijas, Chardonnays and white blends that undergo extremely long skin-contact, to extract enormously complex flavours and stabilise them for long aging. For Mladen, “Secondary and tertiary flavours provide the real terroir characteristics”, and the fermentation on the skins, and use of large oak barrels (barriques are being summarily phased out) helps to generate these flavours.

The Roxanich wines are quite extraordinary, with the whites perhaps shining most brightly in the firmament. Chardonnay, Malvasija Istarska and the white blend “Ines in White” are bottled typically after three years in large wood barrels. These wines are expansive, complex and utterly beguiling. I loved the apricot, lime and candied peel notes in the Chardonnays, and was almost more enticed by their freshness in youth (2011), although admittedly they gain in richness as they age (2010 and 2009). The “Malvasija Antica” has a sherried note, along with figs, honey and lime – and again is fascinating to taste as it evolves over the years. “Ines in white” though is the standout, a fascinating field blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Glera (AKA Prosecco), Friulano, Vermentino, Riesling Italico, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc. It’s an incredibly long and complex wine, with the Sauvignon contributing a lovely grapefruit note (reminding me of what this grape can achive in Friuli).

The reds are scarcely less enticing, although it was interesting to taste the older vintages of the Teran (2005 and 2006), which were noticeably less polished than the more recent “Teran-re”, where Refosco softens the blend. If one red shines through however, it is the “Super Istrian” – an elegant, yet quite massive (by Istrian standards at least) blend which I describe in greater length here.

Coronica Grabar, plus guests

Giorgio Clai

Returning to the Italian influence, Giorgio Clai still reigns supreme in Istria. Originally from Trieste, Clai has built a name for uncompromising but always successful winemaking techniques, again centreing on largely biodynamic methods of production, skin-contact and use of indigenous yeasts. Clai’s Malvasija “Sveti Jacov” is in some ways a very traditional treatment - a white wine given long barrel ageing and slightly oxidative treatment. However, Clai’s attention to detail (and, one suspects, hygiene in the winery) produces an utterly compelling result, which feels perfectly integrated despite high alcohol levels. The flavours span honeysuckle, caramel, candied peel and peach blossom, and matched with food such as local salami there is nothing finer.

Clai has just bottled a sparkling wine which also wowed us – a blend of Malvasija, Chardonnay and Plavine, this almost rose-coloured wine had a lovely biscuit and spiced red fruit character and just radiated class. Look out for it when it is on the market.

Moreno Coronica

Right next door to the Clai winery, Moreno Coronica is making slightly more traditional wines, but with equally consistent results. Coronica’s Gran Teran 2008 might just be the best example of this tricksy grape I have ever tasted. Bright cherry fruit, and the typical teran herbaceousness are balanced perfectly with a mocha note. Teran benefits from a bit of oak ageing, to flesh it out, and Coronica’s wine is supple and wonderfully moreish. His muscular Cabernet “Grabar” 2008, also impressed, with attractive medicinal and chocolate overtones.

Misal sparklers galore

Misal Sparkling wines

There really is no end to the experimentation and variety to be found in this compact region, and what better way to illustrate that than with a tasting of the sparkling wines from Misal - interestingly, sisters Ana and Katarina Misal are intolerant of Sulphur Dioxide (the wine maker’s “cure all” when it comes to stabilising and protecting wines), so their entire range is made with a miniscule dose of So2 – good news for natural wine fans who prefer to taste the grape and not the winemaking.

There are no less than seven different sparklers on offer, and although they vary in terms of success, all are worth a look. The standout is possibly the Misal Istra Brut, produced from 100% Malvasija, and displaying wonderful high-toned apricot fruit, and a refreshing bitter almond finish – a perfect rendition of Malvasija’s varietal character, with bubbles.

Conclusions

Solitary Petrol Pump

Ultimately, Istria is a region of contradictions – sometimes, what seems new is actually firmly embedded in tradition: for example, Clai’s reinvention of long aged, semi-oxidised white wine. And equally, what seems very traditional (Coronica’s barrqiue aged red wines) is actually quite new, in terms of quality red wine production, which really did not exist before the 1990s. The paradox of a long wine-producing history, whose traditions were physically and psychologically erased, and the “year zero” approach of the last 15 years, is both fascinating and problematic – and hard to compare to any other major wine-producing region.

Perhaps these apparent contradictions will resolve into an Istrian “style” in the decades to come. 15 years is after all a relatively short length of time in wine making history. But for the time being, it’s hugely enjoyable to experience the rampant innovation, experimentation and drive for quality that seems to radiate from every corner.

Istria still houses mainly small producers – Franco Cattunar‘s estate of 46 Hectares is one of the largest – and adherence to largely organic and biodynamic farming methods remains popular. Dimitri Brečević has however noticed a worrying trend of growers being increasingly wooed by the petrochemical companies. There is definitely a risk that this fertile and pleasant land could be turned over to more mundane commercial production. Of course therein lies the rub – prices for these lovingly made, small production wines are not cheap, especially when they are exported to the EU. Perhaps Croatia’s succession to the EU in 2013 will see a readjustment in pricing, which could certainly boost the profile of the region. With Marks and Spencer having just announced that they are adding a Malvasija Istarka to their UK range, Istrian winemakers could be on the crest of a wave.

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I travelled to Istria as the guest of Pacta Connect and the Istrian Tourist Board. All the wines mentioned above are available in the UK via Pacta Connect and a number of retail and on-trade establishments.

Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, giorgio clai, Malvasija, misal, moreno coronica, refosk, teran., 1 Comment

Julie’s Jurassic Jaunt (or “how to buy wine for 40 people”)

By Simon Woolf, 23/04/2012 in wine

Bubbles in the rather handy wine chiller cabinet

So, I have a friend, we’ll call her Julie. Julie says to me, please can you buy the wine for my upcoming 40th birthday celebration – a weekend house party on the Jurassic coast (near Lyme Regis), with 40 guests (including the Morning Claret, off duty of course). I ask for guidance, and luckily it’s very broad: A preference for Prosecco over Champagne, a love of Riesling, and for “good wine over cheap wine”. Armed with a generous budget of £33 per boozing adult (£1,000 total), off I go like the proverbial kid in a sweet shop.

Where to buy such a haul, ensuring I can get it delivered to our Dorset location inside of a week, and giving me enough choice to ensure I satisfy all the guests? Majestic Wines seems to be the obvious answer – a good if fairly mainstream range, great deals when buying in quantity, and the all important free delivery. So after two hours of deliberation, I’ve got my order in. Two sparklers, five reds, four whites and a Sunday morning hangover cure (of which more later). Bring on the weekend . . .

The bubbles

Obeying orders, I dialled up a decent Prosecco, the La Marca Treviso Extra dry - fair value at £9.99, crisp with the merest hint of sweetness. Also on hand was the Perle de Vigne Cremant de Bourgogne - a bone-dry, elegant sparkler (also £9.99 on multi-buy) made from a blend of all four permitted Burgundian grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay and Aligoté. I liked the slightly toasty edge and the richness from the Chardonnay.

The whites

Salice Salento, Fronton and 1989 Rioja Gran Reserva

Reds from Italy, France and Spain

We needed a good glugging white, especially with the copious quantities of fresh fish and seafood to be had in the locality, and this slot was ably filled by the Marqués de Riscal Rueda Blanco 2010 - a floral, peach-flavoured wine showing off North-Western Spain’s Verdejo grape to good effect. At the offer price of £7.19, this was good value. I’m less sure at the current list price of £8.99.

For the Saturday “dinner” white, we ramped up to the ever reliable Gavi di Gavi La Toledana 2011. Forget bland, uninteresting Gavi, this has lovely minerality, ripe fruit and just a little more weight than your average G di G, due to the late harvesting regime. Was it just me though, or is the 2011 a bit less rich than other recent vintages?

I had the idea to do a mini Riesling masterclass, comparing Trimbach’s entry level Riesling 2009, Schlumberger’s ‘Les Princes Abbés’ 2009 and throwing in the special treat of a Trimbach ‘Cuvée Frédéric Emile’ 2006 - but that will have to wait, since the weekend was so packed with merriment that the birthday girl could not be secured for a spare hour. I’m sure it will make an appearance on this blog in the weeks to come.

The reds

Here’s where things got interesting. I’d saved a couple of more premium choices for the Saturday night dinner, and happily bored anyone who would listen with the story of these wines. So some people had expectations (or started giving me a wide berth), others just saw bottles on the table, poured and made their own decisions.

Our easy drinking red (for Friday night ice-breaking) was a South-West France offering, Château Jouaninel Fronton 2009 – a soft, supple blend of Cabernet Franc and the more aniseed character of Negrette. Very attractive, especially at the £6.99 multibuy price.

Friday’s big win was however I Satiri’s “Candido” Salice Salentino Riserva 2006 - very definitely a hot climate wine, with Negroamaro’s trademark smoky bramble fruit, yet considerably softer (due to age?) and better balanced than many mid-price Salice Salentinos. I could nit-pick with the rather sweet finish, however it was far less offensive than the alcoholic burn that many Negroamaros suffer from. I’ll be buying this again (and I won’t be the only one) – even at the list price (£9.49).

"Man of the match" Petalos

And to Saturday. Great that Majestic now stock the wonderful Pétalos Bierzo Descendientes de J. Palacios 2009 - and I wondered what a “non-specialist” audience would make of it. This is a quintessential example of Northern Spain’s Mencia grape – fresh, herbaceous, almost green fruit, a hint of bitter chocolate, and relatively high alcohol ensuring that the crunchy tannins don’t get in the way at all. It’s also worth noting that this was the only properly “natural” wine on the table (Majestic have some work to do in that area). Alvaro Palacios farms biodynamically and uses no filtration or fining.

Some found the acidity overbearing – I had put an extremely soft, if woody Tempranillo Gran Reserva 2001 on the table for comparison purposes – but overall the reaction was extremely positive, with many selecting it as their wine of the weekend. I was delighted – this is a cracking wine, with real individuality and sense of place.

Finally, we enjoyed the Viña Muriel Rioja Gran Reserva 1989 with some cheese. Not perhaps the most complex or subtle example of an aged Rioja (I would have preferred something from Urbina), but certainly still alive and kicking, with notes of coffee, caramel, leather and prunes.

Sunday morning

Who could not love a wine which is low in alcohol, lightly sparkling, and deliciously semi-sweet? Stand up, Asti (or Asti Spumante as it used to be known). Unfortunately Majestic don’t currently carry an Asti – but they did have the equally delectable Viña Tendida Moscato 2010, from far South in the Valencia region, an Asti dead ringer with its perfumed, grapey nose and elderflower fruit. And at a mere 5% alcohol, and multibuy price of £3.99, no serious danger to the liver or the wallet.

I always enjoy the slightly panicked look on people’s faces when you bring out some champagne glasses and a bottle of wine at 11am – but one sip of the Moscato and not only is everyone hooked, they’re running to the fridge to see how many bottles are left.

Stonebarrow Manor - our home for the weekend

Bluebells in the garden at Stonebarrow

Moody skies as Brian sets up for a group shot

You actually brought a special breakfast wine?!

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All the wines were supplied by Majestic (delivered from the Yeovil branch). I have no affiliation with them, and I was not paid to write this review. The high incidence of Spanish wines was partly due to that being Majestic’s special offer region for the month – hence I was able to get more value out of the budget.

I spent the total budget of £1,000 on the wines listed above, plus a fair amount of craft ales and lagers, also supplied by Majestic.

Tags: 1989, 1991, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, bierzo, cabernet franc, france, fronton, gavi, gavi di gavi, italy, mencia, negrette, negroamaro, palacios, puglia, Riesling, rioja, salice salentino, spain, tempranillo, trimbach, verdejo, viura., 3 Comments

Super Istrian meets Southern Plavac

By Simon Woolf, 26/03/2012 in Cabernet Sauvignon, Obscure red grape varieties, Plavac Mali and wine

Super Istrian in a super heavy bottle . . .

The Morning Claret is delighted to be going on a brief sojourn to Istria later this week. Having travelled a couple of times in the Southern part of Croatia, I’m fascinated to see what the North of the country has to offer. By way of preparation, I cracked open two wines on Saturday night – arguably neither was typical, but at the same time the idea was to learn something about the key differences between North and South, in terms of wine making.

In the Istrian corner, we had Mladen Roxanich’s “Super Istrian” 2006, a nice play on the “Super Tuscan” tag first coined in the 1970s, when Tuscan wine makers started playing fast and loose with the archaic DOC regulations. Just like the Super Tuscan concept, this is a blend of local and international grape varieties: 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Istrian Borgonja.

The wine greets you with an upfront, yet wholly refreshing aroma of spiced blueberries. It’s enticing, and in no sense predictable. There is a whiff of oak (chocolate?), but interestingly the 2006 seems less evolved than the 2007 vintage. I loved the herbacious, yet full-bodied palate. There’s structure aplenty here, but nothing grainy or butch about the tannins. Overall, “elegance” was a word I kept coming back to.

Heading south, our offering was Korta Katarina‘s 2006 Plavac Mali, a polished remix of this sometimes very rustic grape from the Dalmatian heartlands – and specifically in this case, the Pelješac peninsula. The very ripe, dark fruit character and smokey flavours had us clearly in a much hotter climate than the Super Istrian – yet this is also a wine of considerable elegance and balance.

Korta Katarina Plavac

Just as with my first encounter with KK’s Plavac, I again found that despite an hour in the decanter, this wine still needed more time in the glass to really start singing. Gradually, those wonderful aromas and flavours of herbs, mocha, toast and spices started to unfurl. The genius of this wine is how much is hidden from view when you first uncork the bottle. The patient, however, are rewarded.

I’m not sure that any generalisations about the North or South can be made with these wines – on the one hand, the Roxanich is a blend of international and indigenous varieties, vinified in an ultra-natural fashion (no cultured yeasts, no filtration or fining, no barriques), whilst on the other, the Korta Katarina is a local grape variety, vinified in a more international style, using new oak and temperature control. Both wines are utterly successful in what they set out to achieve, and what stands out is the consistently high standard- their balance, elegance and complexity.

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Roxanish wines are available in the UK from Pacta Connect

Korta Katarina wines are distributed in the US, but not yet in the UK – stay tuned!

Tags: 2006, 2007, Borgonja, Cabernet Sauvignon, croatia, istria, korta katarina, merlot, peljesac, plavac mali, roxanich, Toscana (wine)., 5 Comments

Molto passione vino

By Simon Woolf, 02/03/2012 in Obscure red grape varieties, Obscure white grape varieties and wine

Sandi Skerk

This week, my favourite mild-mannered winemaking genius Sandi Skerk was in London, at a stellar tasting organised by Italian specialist importer Passione Vino. I’d previously tasted many of the Skerk wines at the vineyard as barrel samples, so it was great to compare that with the final bottlings – in this case all from the 2009 vintage. The Vitovska has a richness that I associate with the long period spent macerating on the skins. It’s got lively acidity, appealing nutty/apricot hints and an almost briney consistency that’s much more appealing than it might sound.

The Malvasia had a particularly wild aroma of rubber tyres, something I’d normally associate with aged Rieslings. Again, this is a rich, long and fascinating wine, with a panopoly of floral and nutty flavours sitting happily in the mix.

“Ograde” is probably Skerk’s magnum opus: A white blend of Malvasia, Vitovska, Sauvignon blanc and Pinot Grigio. The 2009 appears to be dryer and more savoury than its individual component wines, enormously complex, and with an appealing grapefruit hint presumably contributed by the Sauvignon. This wine can sometimes be rather funky on the nose, but today it was pure and focused all the way.

I have often been less than enamoured by examples of Terrano from Friuli Carso, but I hadn’t tried Sandi Skerk’s 2009 bottling (I did try an experimental bottle-fermented version back in October 2011). It still suffers from a slight hollowness – a lack of heft if you will – but I have to say this convinced me far more than any other examples I’ve had to date. It’s a nervy wine, with racing acidity, attractive candied peel and dried fruit characters. As a light bodied wine, it’s refreshing, but still somehow feels complex and whole.

Eugenio Rosi

Sometimes just one sip of a wine seems enough to transmit the winemaker’s entire philosophy and passion. This is how I felt when I tasted Eugenio Rosi’s “Anisos” Vallagarina IGT white blend (Pinot Bianco, Nosiola, Chardonnay). As we didn’t share a language, I started tasting without assumptions, and wow, what a wine. There is a bready, unctous texture underpinning all kinds of citrus fruit, acacia blossom and nutty flavours, and a palate-cleansing bitter finish. This wine is alive, full of personality and originality. I wasn’t surprised at all to discover that Rosi’s regime is to macerate on the skins, use natural yeasts, organic farming methods and no sulphur (apart from a minute dose at bottling). These are techniques which in the right hands seem to allow the grapes to “sing” in the glass (As Alice Feiring might put it).

Eugenio is not comfortable with the “natural wine” moniker – a not uncommon situation. He remarked that it should merely be called “normal winemaking – because this is the traditional way, where you don’t do anything else, and you intervene as little as possible”. I understand his frustration – that because industrial methods of wine making have become the new “norm”, this can force the traditional methods into a ghetto – or worse, attribute them to the vagaries of fashion.

Rosi is not afraid to experiment, and many of the wine-making techniques are individual to say the least – the “Poiema” Vallagarina IGT, made from Rosi’s cherished local Marzemino variety, is aged not in oak, but cherry and chestnut barrels. This gives a subtler influence, more in tune with the cherry-fruit character that’s already present in Marzemino. The “7 Otto 9″ is a blend of Cabernet Franc across three vintages (’07, ’08 and ’09). The result is a rich, balanced and gorgeously mineral wine. Thank goodness for the Italian IGT category, which is flexible enough to allow all of these innovations.

Thank goodness also for wine importers like Luca Dusi, whose impressive list is entirely made up of small, “artisanal” wine producers like Sandi Skerk and Eugenio Rosi. These are craftsmen who consistently disarm and change our whole notion of what can be achieved with dedication and skill in wine making.

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All the wines mentioned in this post can be ordered direct from Passione Vino in the UK.
Tel: 0203 487 0600
Email: orders@passionevino.co.uk

Tags: 2007, 2009, Alice Feiring, eugenio rosi, Friuli, Friuli Carso, italy, malvasia, Marzemino, natural wine, ograde, sandi skerk, Sauvignon blanc, Skerk, Terrano, trentino, Vitovska., 3 Comments

Hotel du Teran

By Simon Woolf, 15/12/2011 in wine

If it's Thursday, this must be Trumpington Street . . .

Winemakers can be a tricksy bunch. There are the natural showmen and marketeers, keen to show you their “icon” wines and boast about how much new oak is used for the premium cuvees. Then there are the quiet taciturn types who, you suspect, would rather be out in the fields than talking to you. Somewhere in between are the true artisans, proud of their craft but also eager to share their knowledge and passion.

Dimitri Brečević is one of those – a budding talent from French and Istrian parentage who returned to the fatherland after learning his craft in France and Australasia. In the few years since he’s returned to Istria (Northern coastal Croatia), Brečević has started making a name for producing outstanding natural wines, using only the region’s indigenous grape varieties: Teran, Refošk and Malvazija Istarska.

I caught up with Dimitri at Cambridge’s Hotel du Vin, where he was due to host a dinner showcasing locally sourced cuisine with Istrian wines and olive oil. We tasted the “Piquentum” range (Piquentum is the latin name for the village of Buzet, Dimitri’s home in Croatia) and talked about the comparison between winemaking in France and Istria.

“When I came back to Croatia”, Dimitri told me, “it was almost too much – too many new ideas”. In reality many of these ideas were just old traditions that are no longer in vogue or much talked about in the twin wine capitals of Bordeaux or Burgundy, like vinifying in concrete or large old wooden barrels, or using indigenous yeasts rather than inoculating with cultured strains.

Brečević was adamant that he would continue to farm organically, or preferably biodynamically, as he had originally been taught in Irouléguy, South-West France. He is also passionate about minimising the use of sulphur or other interventions in the winery – “if you wash the juice, you kill everything”.

Piquentum Blanc is 100% Malvazija Istarska, and is at once simple, pure and focused. There’s an appetising nutty quality, and a refined mineral finish. Dimitri has plans to try aging it partly in acacia barrels in the future, to achieve more weight and complexity but without the heavy-handedness of oak. This sounds utterly fascinating.

Like all the Piquentum wines, the Rouge is a single varietal – Teran (also found in nearby Friuli as Terrano). This is Dimitri’s wildest wine, with a dark fig and burnt chocolate character, earthy and graphite-like on the nose. Piquentum Terre 9 is Dimitri’s second red wine, and one that I’ve now tried a few times. It confounds me, sometimes I find it truly exceptional and sometimes merely good. I’ve got a theory that it really needs a decant to show its best. Today, the slightly chocolately dark fruit came across well, but the nose had an overly savoury almost marmite-like note which seemed out of balance. For Brečević, Refošk (the Terre 9′s grape) is “the fancy guy” – a more easy drinking, suave wine, compared to the uncompromising character of Teran.

You sense when talking to Dimitri that his ambition stretches far into the future – this is someone just at the beginning of their career. I for one am already looking forward to the acacia-aged whites, the red blends (Teran and Refošk ought to pair really well together) and even the planned experiments with non-indigenous varieties.

I haven’t mentioned the wonderful labels on these bottles – look out for a guest post here in January, where I’ll tell their story.

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The Piquentum range are available in the UK via Pacta Connect

Tags: 2009, 2010, croatia, dimitri brecevic, istria, malvasia, Malvasija, piquentum, refosco, refosk, teran, Terrano., 4 Comments

Smoke on the water – Hungarian Wine House tasting

By Simon Woolf, 20/11/2011 in Obscure red grape varieties, Obscure white grape varieties and wine

Colourful labels on the Hagymasi Pinceszet stand

Colourful labels on the Hagymási Pincészet stand

Any bon-viveur worth their salt will be familiar with Hungary’s most famous vinuous export – Tokaji Aszu. This luscious yet refreshing nectar has assured Hungary’s place on the international wine map for the last 400 years. Additionally, those of a certain age may remember when Eger Bikavér (AKA “Bull’s Blood”) was king. Sadly this deep-hued, spicy red wine became devalued during the 1980s and 1990s, and has all but vanished from the shelves in the UK. But, as I learned at a tasting organised by the Hungarian Wine House last week, there’s considerably more to Hungarian wine than just Tokaji and Bull’s Blood.

Five producers were showcasing their wines, ranging from smaller family wineries to a large Tokaji producer, and covering almost every corner of the country where quality wines are made. It was heartening to see one organically certified producer amongst the five, and also to try several of the many indigenous varieties still cultivated.

Hagymási Pincészet are located in the Eger region – home of Bull’s Blood, and indeed they produce a pretty sterling example (We tried the 2007) with tangy red fruit, crunchy tannins and good acidity. I also enjoyed the 2010 Egri Csillag, a white blend of Olaszrizling (AKA welschriesling), Leányka, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The winery makes a number of red single varietals, most of which I found too heavy on the oak, for their relatively light bodies. More interesting was the 2007 Merilyn, produced from Menoir, a red variety with a beguiling scent of thyme, mint and candied cherries. Two red blends, the 2007 Föld és Lélek (“Earth and Soul”, Cab. Franc, Syrah and Kadarka) and 2003 Egri Bormester (Cab. Sauv, Pinor Noir and Menoir) also impressed – certainly the addition of some Cabernet or Syrah helps bolster up the rather more delicate indigenous varieties.

Birgit Pfneisl

Birgit Pfneisl is now the head winemaker at her family’s Pfneiszl vineyards, in Sopron to the far west of Hungary. Following conversion to organic farming methods in 2004, the 2009 and 2010 vintages are the first to be organically certified. Birgit told me that in almost all cases, they use only indigenous/wild yeasts. The Pfneiszl basic range are well made wines for everyday drinking. I found them likable but think they may be a hard-sell in the UK, considering their price points (£10-£13 a bottle). Stepping up to the premium range, the 2007 Kékfrankos (“kettö007″) hails from a difficult year, but has a fresh, herbaceous character, with hints of black olives and coffee. I did wonder whether more of the Kékfrankos character would have come across with less oak (the wine sees 22 months in a combination of new and old barrels). That theme continued through to the 2008 Impression Rouge “Smoke on the lake” (Dare I say the colour of this wine was Deep Purple?), a Merlot/Cab. Sauv./Kékfrankos blend which had an attractive rounded texture, and similar herb and mocha character but just too much wood obscuring everything. As it had only been bottled a few weeks before this event, it would be worth trying again – who knows, maybe the overt oak will settle down.

Róbert Mayer's Portugesier

Birgit also produces a special Cuvée “Wide World (Távoli világ) 2009″, which is described as her CV in a bottle. The field-blend of Shiraz, Carmenere, Malbec, Zinfandel and Sangiovese (!) comes from experimental plantings of varietals Birgit encountered on her travels, whilst studying and gaining experience around the world. It’s a lovely idea, and the wine is accomplished, fruit-laden and fairly full-bodied – but perhaps inevitably, not quite the sum of its parts. Apparently the Malbec is also under threat, as the local deer population have taken a shine to it. Perhaps they know it’s a good combination with a venison steak?

Moving from the far West to the far South, I loved Róbert Mayer‘s 2009 Portugieser, with its quite fascinating savoury spice (cloves?) aroma, ripe red fruits and fresh, vegetal palate. His Szt. Bertalan had an intriguingly “funky” nose, but the palate was rather hollow. The 2008 Cabernet Franc had attractive sweet spiced fruit, but – again – overly heavy oak treatment.

Jozsef Ludányi’s dry white Cserszegi Fűszeres 2009 (Cserszeg Spice) had appealing aromatics, crisp melon fruit and a refined mineral finish. However, I question his decision to christen a range of wines “excellent”. Yes, there’s “Excellent Red”, “Excellent White” and “Excellent Rose”. Unless they really are (I’ll leave you to guess), this naming scheme is doomed to derision.

And so to the Tokaji – Pannon Tokaj is a relatively large-scale producer (They knock out 250,000 bottles a year) who have been in operation since 2000. You can really taste the influence of the region’s volcanic soils in their 2006 dry Furmint, which had taken on an aged-Riesling character, with a hint of burnt rubber and spiced apple. Pannon’s sweet wines provide a good comparison of both traditional and modern Tokaji styles. Traditionally, these wines were frequently made in a semi-oxidised style, with fermentation and maturation in oak barrels which were often not filled to the brim, thus allowing the ingress of air.

László Nyári from Pannon Tokaj

The 2003 Tokaji Aszú 3 puttonyos harks back to that style, with almost savoury, briney notes on the nose, leading to dried apricot and citrus fruit. The 2005 Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyos has a more overt marmalade character and better acidity. I didn’t love either of these wines – the trade-off in fruit purity against the slight oxidative notes just doesn’t work for me. Much more exciting was the 2006 late harvest Cuvée, matured only six months in oak, rather than the three years demanded by the aszu regulations, and equivalent to a 4 puttonyos sweetness level. The explosion of fresh citrus, apricot and peach, tempered with nervy acidity was quite delicious – and at only £15, some bargain.

The 2004 Dominium Aszú 6 puttunyos has particularly pure melon and grapefruit-coulis flavours, notably different to the preceding wines. László Nyári, Pannon’s CEO, told me this character is due to the vastly lower yields for the Dominium vineyards. Finally, the 2005 Tokaji Aszúeszencia has the luscious marmalade character which I associate with the region, and is complex and very long in the mouth.

It’s probably apparent from my notes that this tasting was a mixed bag. There was lots to like – the often herbaceous and mineral characters from these largely cool-climate wines, with refreshingly low alchohol levels (11.5-12.5% in many cases), and some truly distinctive blends and grapes (I’d love to try more Menoir and Cserszegi Fűszeres). But – given how light-bodied most of the indigenous varieties are, why smother them in so much oak?

~~~
Many of the wines reviewed above are available in the UK from Hungarian Wine House, who organised this tasting. A big thanks to Bálint Takács for the invite, also to Adrienn Tóth, a mine of useful information on the Hungarian wine industry in general.

Tags: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, cabernet franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, furmint, Hagymási Pincészet, hungary, Jozsef Ludányi, kekfrankos, manoir, merlot, pannon tokaj, pfneiszl, portugesier, robert mayer, Syrah, tokaji., 3 Comments

Rock the Carso (Friuli Part 1)

By Simon Woolf, 30/10/2011 in Obscure red grape varieties, Obscure white grape varieties and wine

Typical vistas in Carso

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is Italy’s most North-Easterly region. Like many European border areas, Friuli has a composite identity made up of Italian, Slovenian and Teutonic cultures. Those borders, which can seem so trivial now (on our visit, we drifted into Slovenia and back, with nary a battered sign to remind us), have been hard fought over during the past century. Everything from churches to vines was desecrated during the first world war, although there is little clue from the beauty and tranquility that now pervades the hills. The landscapes are frequently jaw dropping, with dramatic rolling hills, glimpses of the Adriatic and primeval bands of limestone extruded from the ground.

It’s rare for wines outside the two “big ticket” DOCs (Friuli Collio and Colli Orientali) to make it to the UK. There is much to say about these fine sub-regions, but let us detour instead to Friuli Carso DOC. This hidden gem is located in the South-East corner of Friuli, on the Istrian peninsula bordering Slovenia. Carso (“Karst” or “Kras” in Slavic dialects) is the calcareous limestone rock.

Edi Kante's artwork amidst Karst and Oak

It’s not easy to grow grapes here – the rocky outcrop has a scant covering of earth, and most producers have historically shipped in red iron-enriched soil from closer to Trieste, building high terraces upon their land. The vicious Bora wind is apt to whip through the vineyards, removing anything that’s not strapped down, and chilling anything that is to the bone (or branch). But having said that, there are many hours of sun, and a moderating maritime influence from the nearby Adriatic.

Kante

Carso is home to some 40 small and often uncompromising producers. We visited three pivotal wineries, all within walking distance of each other: Edi Kante is unquestionably the reason that Friuli Carso is enjoying a renaissance today – in the 1980s, Edi began the drive towards quality. Fast forward and his wines are now available all over the world, including the UK and the US. Edi was in the States during our visit, but his nephew Goran related how techniques such as Guyot vine-training (the classic method used in Bordeaux and Burgundy) and Green Harvesting (stripping excess fruit from the vines, to reduce yields and increase quality) were introduced in the 1980s and 90s. Apparently Edi’s father was practically in tears during the first few green harvests, unable to understand how throwing away 25% of the crop was going to help the Kante business.

Kante KK maturing in the cellars

The Kante winery is something to behold, with three sizable underground cellars, one below the other, hollowed out of the rock. Edi is also an artist, and his modernist canvases are littered in every corner and crevice of the winery – and on the bottles themselves. The Kante philosphy is very much about freshness and fruit purity, something that was evident as we tasted the white wines. The 2009 Vitovska has attractive green melon notes, while the 2009 Malvasija has more florality, an almost salty savouriness plus a fine almond finish. The “KK” traditional method sparkler (A blend of Chardonnay and Malvasija) is very elegant, with some toasty depth and a mineral finish. Finally, we tasted an impressive 2001 Chardonnay (“La Bora di Kante”), its weighty spiced apple and vanilla character reflecting rather tasteful oak treatment.

Edi Kante is innovating with a variety of non-standard bottle and cork sizes, in an attempt to solve two issues: first, that the standard 75ml bottle is a little too large for two to share over a meal (hence the introduction of a 50ml bottle for some of the wines), and second, that the proportions of the magnum (rather than the size) are what results in superior maturation of the wine – so a 75ml bottle with a smaller neck and cork should produce the same result, but without the unwieldy size.

Sandi Skerk, clutching his "unfinished" Terrano

Skerk

Sandi Skerk, president of the local Consorzio Tutela Vini Collio e Carso, is a softly spoken yet clearly passionate winemaker. Sandi and his father Boris farm biodynamically, and their wines are made with a very light hand – there are no cultured yeasts, filtering or fining chez Skerk. We tasted fascinating barrel samples of the Skerk whites – Malvasija Istriana, Vitovska (of which more later), Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. These are wild wines in every sense, with long periods of skin contact lending them unusual hues. The scents and tastes are exotic and complex – none more so than the Pinot Grigio, a sludge-pink colour, almost tannic with a vast range of ripe stone fruit, wet stone and bready flavours.

We also tried Skerk’s youthful Terrano, bottled mid-fermentation as an experiment. I didn’t take to the relatively high residual sugar, but liked the attractive prickle and almost chewy red-fruit texture.

Pinot Grigio after a few weeks on the skins

Sandi has organically certified the family’s vineyards, but not the final product, as he remains unhappy with the lax standards that the certification permits in the winery. I admire his commitment – many are the vineyard owners who claim that they farm organically or biodynamically, but have all manner of excuses up their sleeves if the tricky matter of certification is raised. Skerk understands that in order to improve standards, it is essential to work within a system rather than throwing rocks at it.

Zidarich

Like Skerk, the Zidarich modus operandi is very much on the natural winemaking tip – farming is largely biodynamic, white grapes mostly spend some time on the skins, and fermentation is in open-topped vats with indigenous yeasts.

Benjamin Zidarich’s winery and cellars were built in 1996, entirely from local “found” materials, and are impressive to say the least. Benjamin based the cellar around a natural grotto buried deep in the Carso, and like the other wineries we visited, temperature control is achieved elementally rather than with technology.

Over lunch in Zidarich’s gorgeously aspected and airy tasting room, we enjoyed a wide selection of wines from all three producers. Both Skerk and Zidarich produce signature white blends. Zidarich’s Prulke 2009

Benjamin Zidarich (or - further evidence that Italian is 90% hand movements)

Benjamin Zidarich and some very Italian hand movements

(60% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Malvasija and 20% Vitovska) opens with grapefruit marmalade, giving way to a full, creamy texture and an array of stone fruit and floral notes. It’s rather marvellous. Skerk’s orange Ograde 2009 (Vitovska 50%, Malvasia 20%, Sauvignon 20% and Pinot Grigio 10%) is yet more single minded, with (on this showing at least) an overtly funky and rather reductive nose which leads to a complex, opulent and peachy palate. Zidarich’s varietal Vitovska 2009 was also outstanding, with nervy acidity and a profound apricot character.

Ben pours a glass or 12 of the terrano

Terrano

I’ll admit I was largely disappointed by the Terrano-based reds – The Zidarich 2009 Terrano (a clone of Refosk/Refosco) had good morello cherry fruit and structure, yet seemed somewhat lean. Edi Kante’s 1991 Terranum was even leaner – this had promising barnyard/animal hints at first smell, but although there was some bright red fruit, I felt that Terranum had become almost terminal, with acetic overdose just around the corner.

Vitovska

Vines at Skerk, showing the now preferred training method

Vines at Skerk, showing the now preferred Alberello training method

Like any self-respecting Italian region, Friuli Carso has one grape which is pretty much unique to the area. Vitovska turns out to be a cross of Prosecco Tondo and Malvasia Bianca Lunga, and probably originated in Slovenia (where it is also known as Vitouska or Vitovska Garganja). It’s characterised by thick skins, and thus an ability to withstand the Bora wind, powerful acidity, floral notes and considerable versatility depending on the treatment in the winery. Vitovska has been saved from near-extinction by winemarkers like Sandi Skerk, Edi Kante and Benjamin Zidarich.

Conclusion

The Carso is truly fascinating – respect for tradition and the environment mixes effortlessly with a desire to innovate and push the boundaries. The wine-making here is ambitious, daring and yet utterly rooted in the “terroir”. I urge readers to seek out these wines (especially the whites). Here are some UK links:

http://www.vivinum.co.uk/italien/friaul/kante.html

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/skerk/1/uk

http://www.slurp.co.uk/search/?search=Zidarich

There appear to be a number Italian distributors who will ship Europe-wide as well.

Tags: 1991, 2001, 2008, 2009, authentic wine, biodynamic, Carso, Chardonnay, DOC, Edi Kante, european wine bloggers conference, ewbc, ewbc11, ewbc2011, Friuli, Friuli Carso, italy, Kante, Karst, kk, Kras, Malvasija, Malvasija Istrica, naked wine, natural, natural wine, ograde, orange wine, organic, Pinot Grigio, prulke, refosco, refosk, Skerk, Terrano, Vitovska, Zidarich., 7 Comments

Bubbling up in Brescia

By Simon Woolf, 18/10/2011 in wine

Morning in Brescia, over the Duomo roof

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Lombardy is an attractive, stately city, untouched by major tourism and unhyped by the guide books. Brescia is the de facto capital of Franciacorta, a sub-region specialising in the production of sparkling wine. Brescia was also the location for this year’s superb European Wine Bloggers Conference, a friendly and passionate gaggle of enthusiasts, marketeers and wine producers.

Like many of my fellow delegates, I wasn’t previously familiar with Franciacorta wines – exports are growing but still small, and the region was not awarded the prestigious DOCG status until 1995. Permitted grape varieties have a familiar ring about them – Chardonnay and Pinot Nero (AKA Noir) are the major players – but there is a potential USP as Pinot Bianco can contribute up to 50% of the blend. The typical style is dry, with red fruit aromas from the Pinot and good texture and elegance from the Chardonnay.

The Bellavista stand at the EWBC tasting

There are a number of parallels to be drawn to Champagne, and the idea of opulence and grandeur is definitely something the Franciacortans seek to emulate. Immaculately uniformed staff greeted us at every table of the EWBC Franciacorta tasting, and the bottle labels and marketing leaflets abound with classic styling. Most of the 37 Franciacorta producers exhibiting at the EWBC tasting were showcasing a brut, and the Saten (“silk”) style specific to the region. Saten is a chardonnay-dominated, creamy, soft-textured wine with fine mousse and restrained perlage.

The Franciacorta DOCG regulations seem to almost deliberately trump those of areas like Champagne and Cava in a number of areas, and maturation time on the lees (dead yeast cells) is one of them. The average non-vintage champagne is only required to spend 15 months on the lees, but here 36 to 48 months is quite common – and indeed 24 months is the minimum permitted under the complex DOCG rules. Vintage Franciacortas (“Millesimato” or “Reserva”) are also popular, and have even more stringent requirements from the DOCG (Reservas must spend 60 months on their lees, and a further 7 in bottle before being released to market).

Those handsome Majolini sparklers

Standards are high in Franciacorta – yields are kept low and most producers are small and quality-focused. However, trying to differentiate one wine from another isn’t easy. For me, most interest lay in the blends which included Pinot Bianco. This can add elegance, a hint of vanilla spice and a wonderful mineral finish to the bubbles – something which is quite distinctive, unlike the competent but sometimes amorphous champagne-style blends. Other points of interest were those producers showing “pas dosé” wines (ie: with no added sugar, or dosage, after the second fermentation) which allowed a much more interesting character to emerge from the Chardonnay. Majolini stood out, with a 100% Chardonnay Ultra brut (4gr dosage) which approached the austerity and steeliness of a premier cru Chablis – but with bubbles. Of course, the fruit here is much riper, with an attractive floral and green apple character. This relatively lean style relies on that ripeness, and might well produce something akin to battery acid if attempted in the cooler Champagne climate.

Other producers who impressed were Ca’ Del Bosco, with the complex, savoury brut reserva 2003 (“Annamaria Clementi”), and Fratelli Berlucchi with a refined, fresh and mineral Pas Dosé . Brut Rosé is another popular style in the region, with most examples emphasising the raspberry/strawberry fruit character from Pinot Nero and attaining a very pale salmon pink hue from minimal skin contact. Solive’s Rosé, 100% Pinot Nero, is worth mentioning for its notable fruit purity and finesse.

There’s no doubt that Franciacorta has what it takes to become one of the world’s leading sparkling wine regions. Consistency here seems greater than in Cava, and ambitions are definitely some way ahead of most Prosecco producers. But the issue is defining character – what can Franciacorta offer that isn’t already available from a good independent champagne house, or even a Cremant de Bourgogne? These are, after all, not cheap wines. The answer, I think, is to emphasise the exoticism and refinement that Pinot Bianco adds, and to take advantage of the excellent ripening conditions to explore a greater range of drier styles.

Tags: brescia, brut, ca del bosco, champagne, chardonnary, ewbc, ewbc11, franciacorta, italy, majolini, pinot bianco, pinot blanc, pinot nero, pinot noir, saten, solive, sparkling wine., 7 Comments

Sherry Maestro No.22

By Simon Woolf, 12/10/2011 in food, sherry and wine

En Rama Manzanilla "I Think"

Sherry seems to be going through a mini-renaissance right now, after decades of being banished to the backwater of granny’s christmas cupboard. It is after all one of the few real bargains of the wine world – complex, characterful, consistent and often aged for a decade or more, yet entry level examples in most styles can be had for under a tenner. Many of us who fancy ourselves as tastemongers or connoisseurs are familiar enough with the key concepts – a refreshing fino or manzanilla makes a delightful aperitif, dry amontillado or oloroso can be amazing food wines, and then there are the luscious, unctuous concoctions made with Pedro Ximenez. Yet in the UK, it’s hard to find anything like the range of sherry producers that we might expect from other wine styles. Lustau flies the quality flag, but is a huge concern. La Gitana is ever reliable, if unexciting. But what about the smaller, “boutique” producers?

So it was that eight of us were gathered around a table in Herne Hill’s very fine tapas restuarant “Number 22“, with Olly Bartlett from Indigo Wines (ex. Green and Blue) as our guide to the sherries of El Maestro Sierra – one of the smallest, most traditional and highest quality bodegas in the Jerez region. Indigo have just struck an exclusive deal with El Maestro, and we were the first to taste these distinctive bottles in the UK. To start however, we kicked off with a couple of wines from the Equipo Navazos range:

Bodega El Maestro Sierra Exterior

The Niepoort Vino Bianco 2009 is a white wine made from Palamino Fino grapes that have been vinified under flor (the distinctive layer of yeast that gives young sherries their acetaldehyde aroma). It’s a curiosity, with the same freshness and bite as a good fino, but without the more alchoholic kick (it’s unfortified). You can however taste that there is not much going on underneath the appealing flor character – Palamino is famed for its dullness, if vinified conventionally.

Next up was the En Rama Manzanilla “I Think“, with its characteristic label. This is a wine that Naked Wines used to sell, but interestingly they have delisted it after customer rebellion. My opinion is that this has more to do with the poorly signposted fact that it’s sold by the half bottle than the contents. I liked the slightly oily, viscous texture, and green pepper flavour in amongst the more usual flor notes. Very long in the mouth, too.

El Maestro Sierra Fino (detail)

Now we were ready to get down to serious business with four El Maestro Sierra offerings. All were superlative and truly individual, in a way that most large-production sherries are not. The Fino, aged for four years before release, was again quite weightily textured, with candied peel on the nose. The finish was very fine and long. The star of the show was definitely the Amontillado, with fantastically complex and rewarding notes of burnt rubber, cocoa beans, dried fruit and more. The Oloroso showed freshness, walnuts and caramel, plus a gorgeous velvety texture, but couldn’t match the multi-facatedness of the Amontilldo – it seemed oddly closed in comparison. Finally, the Pedro Ximenez displayed customary richness, and a thick, engine oil texture - but also uncharacteristic freshness, complex chocolate, tar and citrus peel flavours and an appealing green character on the nose.

I haven’t yet mentioned the carefully chosen and delectable tapas that were served with each wine – the highlights were mussels with Serrano ham, seared tuna with fennel and orange (perfect with the fino or the amontillado), barbary duck breast with honey glazed figs and braised rabbit with lemon, mint and Manzanilla olives.

The El Maestro Sierra wines are superlative examples of the classic sherry styles, with outstanding freshness and personality. Yes, they will set you back a bit more than La Gitana or Tio Pepe (especially the Amontillado at £17 for a half bottle) – but they are still excellent value given the quality. I believe they should now be on the lists at both Green and Blue and Number 22 – reason enough to move to South East London!

Tags: Amontillado, El Maestro Sierra, Equipos Navazos, Fino, Manzanilla, Number 22, Oloroso, Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximenez, Sherry., 5 Comments

Dalmatia Part 3: Korta Katarina

By Simon Woolf, 26/09/2011 in Obscure red grape varieties, Obscure white grape varieties and wine

Fermentation vessels for Plavac Mali

In my previous post I wrote about a family wine-producing micro-enterprise. The Bura winery produces only around 2,000 bottles each of their key wines, Bura Dingač and Mare Postup. I visited Boris Mrgdić and the Bura family in the morning. That afternoon, by way of contrast, I spent a few hours at Korta Katarina, an impressive new winery just outside Orebic town centre which produces around 80,000 bottles a year.

Korta Katarina (roughly translated as “Katherine’s garden”) was the brainchild of American industrial magnate Lee Anderson. No expense has been spared in building a spacious HQ and creating what is Pelješac’s, if not the whole of Dalmatia’s most leading-edge and well equipped winery. Winemaker Nika Silić made the first vintage of Korta Katarina’s Plavac Mali in 2006, and since then this bold venture has been making a name for itself both locally and internationally. The estate’s white wine, produced from Korcula’s Pošip grape, has won a string of commendations including multiple Decanter awards.

After a fascinating tour of the modern winery and cellars, we sat down with Korta Katarina’s knowledgable and charming Ivo Cibilić for a detailed tasting of the wines. In true KK style, this was conducted in the large air-conditioned tasting room, with chic furniture, exemplary glassware (Riedel, of course) and a selection of delicious olives and cheeses selected to complement the wines.

Pošip grapes on the selection table, before passing through a heat exchanger

We began with two vintages of the estate’s Pošip, having just seen the 2011 harvest roll off a truck and onto the triage table. The Pošip 2010 is a blend of stainless-steel and barrique-fermented wines. The oak influence is carefully judged, just to provide extra depth and weight, with only about 25% of the final blend coming from Barrique. The nose has the typically grassy, herbaceous aromas, plus some white pepper. The texture is creamy, with the oak contributing bready flavours to complement the tangy green fruit and florality. We then compared this with the 2008, which shows how much more integrated the two components of this wine become after some time in bottle. This allows the citrus and angelica notes to come through, leaving less overt oak influence and greater length.

The cellars at Korta Katarina

Next up was the Rosé, a blend of Plavac Mali and one of its better known parents, Zinfandel. At 13.9% alchohol you would expect this to be robust, yet there is plenty of freshness in the appealing raspberry and strawberry fruit character. More uniquely,a wonderful savoury quality sets this quite apart from the more frivolous territory that Rosés so often seem to inhabit.

Finally we moved on to the 2006 Plavac Mali, perhaps the signature wine of the estate. Although KK has vineyards within the Dingac region, a conscious decision was made to make a blend from the best grapes in both the Postup and Dingac “appellations”. The result cannot of course be labelled as either “Postup” or “Dingač”, and therefore Korta Katarina arguably becomes the “premium” name on the bottle. On the one hand this is clever marketing (providing that the wine is good), but also I think it is a smart decision in terms of wine-making. Ivo had carefully decanted the wine in advance of our arrival, and it was showing beautifully. The full range of Plavac’s herbal, dried fruit, sage and earthy aromas introduced an astounding array of tar, prunes, smoke, blackberries and chocolate on the palate.

The blend of Plavac from the lower (Postup) and upper (Dingač) slopes of Pelješac manages to achieve elegance, complexity and poise that I think would be difficult to find in a more delimited area. As you might expect, this wine sees quite a bit of French oak (a proportion is aged in new and old barriques for one year) during its three years of maturation (the 2006 was released for sale in 2009), but the final blend is expertly done and I felt I was tasting the grape and not the winemaking. This is also one of those wines that keeps developing as it breathes and opens out – every sip reveals another nuance.

It will be extremely interesting to see how this estate shapes up over the next few years – with such brilliant results already behind them, Korta Katarina should have a bright future. We should not however forget the wine-making tradition that goes before them – both Nika and Ivo come from local winemaking families. Unsurprisingly, not everyone on the peninsula is impressed by this new rich-kid on the block. However, sometimes it takes a newcomer to shake things up a bit – and Korta Katarina is showing not only how excellent the results from this sunbaked territory can be, but also how state-of-the-art equipment and rigorous attention to detail can produce wines that hold their own on the world-stage.

Tags: 2006, 2008, croatia, dalmatia, korta katarina, peljesac, plavac, plavac mali, posip, zinfandel., 5 Comments