Tonight I decided to stay in Brda. I’m moving just a bit below into Vipovže to taste Benedetič’s Merlot. A wine produced in stainless vats, but what a characterful wine with finesse!
Bunches were hand-harvested from vines aged between ten and forty years. The vineyard is named Benečanovo and lays at an altitude between 100 and 200 meters above sea level with southwest exposure.
Grapes were fully ripe with some dried. They were destemmed, crushed and left to macerate for eight days at temperatures between 25 and 28 ° Celsius. The mash is then gently pressed and transferred to mature with fine lees for 24 months in stainless vats, also undergoing malolactic conversion.
This Merlot displays a ruby red colour with a dense texture.
Aromas are intense, pleasing. We detect ripe fruit, including blackberries, sour cherries, plums, violets, a touch of woody, which is surprising as it didn’t mature in wooden barrels, with a slight note of dry leaves and smoke.
The feel is soft and reasonably warm. It then refreshes our palate, and we detect a good measure of tannins. They are still rounding up, which indicates that the wine is still youthful.
A full-body Merlot of lasting persistency and pronounced elegance. A beautiful representation of this variety that many wine lovers will enjoy. A bottle will cost you approximately 9 Eur, and you can get it at Koželj.