Fornazarič – Leopold, 2018

Today’s wine feels like a return home. I’m coming from the lower Vipava Valley, and the Fornazarič family isn’t that far from my hometown. And as the days are getting warmer, Leopold, a blend of Malvasia, Sauvignonasse and Rebula, will be perfect.

We are in Vogrsko, a village where I’ve spent part of my childhood days, as we used to own an inn there. So I’ve always looked after their wines. They have a long tradition of winemaking, but in 1991 they decided to dedicate fully to this activity.

Since then, they focused on adequate plot planning, proper variety selection, lowering vine loads, and omission of fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides. All of this to elevate the quality and style of their wines. All of their wines are bottled unfiltered with minimum addition of Sulphites.

For Leopold, hand-harvested grapes are used from grassed, terraced vineyards planted on flysch. Grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness. Juice of freshly pressed grapes ferments in stainless vats and then matures for a further four months on fine lees before bottling. And this results in adding a touch of structure, softness and some flavours to the wine. Finally, it is assembled by blending 40 % Malvasia, 30 % Sauvignonasse and 30 % Rebula.

Leopold is a wine of fairly dense texture with golden colour.

Its aroma reminds of yellow apple, apricot, pineapple, acacia flower, yellow rose petals and thyme, all well supported by hints of butter, hazelnut and bread crust.

The taste is intense, with perceived sofntess, then washed by perceived softness and mineral salinity. A medium-bodied wine with just the right persistency to call for another sip. A refreshing wine with enchanting flavours of fruit, blossom and butter.

Leopold is a pleasant drinking wine that will be best served as an aperitive or with marine appetisers. And what is best, it has an attractive price of 8 Eur that you can get at Koželj and Enotheque.