Ferdinand – Sivi pinot, Época, 2017

Oh, a Pinot grigio or sivi pinot (as we call it in our little country) for today will be perfect. I’ve chosen the one of Ferdinand, from their selected line named Época.

We’re in the village of Kojsko in Goriška Brda, where Matjaž and Jasmina Četrtič are crafting some state of the art wines. Divided into three lines; the classical produced in stainless steel tanks, the Época matured in oak barrels and Brutus. The later with rustic styled wines, marked by long maceration times and grapes coming from especially old vineyards.

So today’s wine is coming from the 25-years old, grassy vineyard Kalehe. Actually, it is the one in front of their house in the village of Kojsko. It’s facing southwest exposure at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level. Of course, the soil is Opoka. And the load of vines is approximately 1 kilogram per tree.

Selected grapes are hand-picked, then de-stemmed and crushed. After a gentle pressing and 24-hour clarification, the must is racked in 500 and 225-litre oak barrels on fine lees. The fermentation is spontaneous, without the addition of selected yeast and they stir it constantly for 12 months. During this time it also undergoes full malolactic fermentation.

This results in a wine of a brilliant, golden yellow colour with a slight amber hue and dense texture.

An intense bouquet reveals ripe and baked yellow fruit, peach, yellow apple, mango, candied lemon, as well as lemongrass, thyme, marzipan, cinnamon, with hints of butter, brittle dough and vanilla reminding of pan brioche.

The taste is seductive, the mouthfeel is oily, with nicely incorporated alcohols. Its pronounced freshness intricates with mineral salinity, prolonging the sensations in our mouth. A full-bodied wine with long-lasting, elegant taste.

A skillfully crafted wine, that balances the vibrancy from high-altitude vineyards with cellar work mastery.