KlenArt – Pinot noir Tinja, 2015

KlenArt - Pinot noir Tinja, 2015
KlenArt – Pinot noir Tinja, 2015
Photo: Mihaela Majerhold – Ostrovršnik

Time to introduce a new winemaker on this blog. We’re moving to Slovenska Istra, to the village of Plavje, where the Klenar family is crafting a selected range of wines. We’ll be looking at their selected Pinot Noir that matured in used oak barrels and bears the name of the vineyard it’s coming from – Tinja.

Grapes were hand-harvested from a 22-year-old vineyard planted at an altitude of 145 meters above sea level. It faces Karst with northwest-facing slopes composed of flysch, clay and red Karstic soil washed down from the hill. Markers that grant optimal conditions to grow this delicate grape variety. Tinja is the name of the vineyard given by the mountain Tinjan which it faces.

After destemming and crushing, the mash was macerated with fermentation at controlled temperatures. After a gentle pressing, it was racked into used oak barrels, where it matured for a year, conducting spontaneous malolactic conversion during this time. Finally, it was bottled, and after an extensive bottle ageing, it finally made it to the market.

KlenArt’s Pinot noir shows a deep, ruby red colour with a dense texture. The swirl quickly stops, and the coloured tears slowly slip on the walls of the glass.

The nose is intense, mature. We perceive roasted plums, mulberries, notes of black currant, hibiscus, with hints of eucalyptus, cedar, eventually opening into coffee, forest undergrowth, leather, truffles and smoke.

A dry expression, presenting a relatively soft touch and reasonable warmth. It shows a refreshing character with minerality and grippy tannins that are slowly rounding off—an intense, full-bodied and elegant wine with a lasting aftertaste.

A wine that manages to cope with age well acts focused and decisive to please for at least the next seven years, if not even more. This is a bottle I was keeping stored for quite some time, and currently, the available vintage is 2017. A bottle will cost you approximately 10 Eur, and you can order it straight at the winemaker’s store.

KlenArt - Pinot noir Tinja, 2015
Photo: Mihaela Majerhold – Ostrovršnik

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.