Gordia – Malvazija, 2020

Let’s return to our friends over at Gordia. Harvest is turning to an end, and whites are already nicely fermenting, so while we still can, let’s have a look at their Malvasia that has been produced with protective vinification practices with maturation in stainless vats.

Few would know, but this style initially wasn’t planned by Andrej. He was always keen on maceration and extracting as much colour, tannin and texture from berries. But some of his friends and customers asked if he could produce a style that hasn’t been marked so much by extensive skin contact … And he tried.

Such were the results. The demand grew, and now he produces approximately 6,000 bottles per year. Please have in mind, he owns around 4 hectares of vineyards and produces eight different wines.

Berries are selected from vineyards that are planted on marlstone but also have traces of clay. It is fascinating looking at vineyards as you see different coloured spots of vines marking the change in soil type.

Anyhow, back to the wine, grapes are hand-harvested with care of quick transportation into the cellar. They are destemmed, crushed, gently pressed, and the juice is racked into stainless vats with fine lees. Fermentation is spontaneous, and it spends approximately half a year there until finally being bottled without filtration and closed with screw caps.

This results in a wine of strawy yellow colour with golden shades and a slightly opaque reflection. The texture is relatively dense.

Aromas are intense. We detect apple, white peach, a touch of tropics, almond flower and grass.

Its taste is intense, crisp acidity and minerality hide underneath sensations of softness. A rather structured wine of medium persistency, yet a distinctively vibrant and elegant character that makes it ideal for sipping over a platter of raw fish or shrimps.

A bottle will cost you approximately 11 Eur and you can order it at Dobro vino, Vinoteka Sodček and Naravna vina.