Kristančič – Rebula Artwork, 2017

Time to discover a new winemaker here at my little digital place. So we’re moving to Medana to taste a wine coming from a renowned winemaking family – Kristančič. They have been known for producing state of the art wines, especially by some excellent plots of Cabernet Sauvignon. Still, tonight we’ll have a look at their Rebula Artwork, produced in limited quantities.

Artwork is the latest line coming from the Kristančič cellar, as it was introduced in August 2019 for the first time. Rebula’s label boasts a black and white image of a Peacock which has become their distinctive symbol and already looking at the combination with its golden insignia, you know you’re in for a treat.

The production was done in two phases. First, the grapes of Rebula were hand-picked, destemmed and crushed. Half of the must macerated with fermentation for fourteen days, and after a gentle pressing, the young wine was racked into used oak barriques of French and American origin. The other half’s must was barrel fermented in the same combination of wood—all of this for approximately eighteen months. Then, in May 2020, both wines were racked into stainless vats to assemble fully. Finally, after three months, it was bottled and presented to the market.

This care creates a Rebula of a deep golden yellow colour, with an amber hue. Its texture is thick, forming slowly slipping tears and quickly stopping the swirl.

Its bouquet is intense, pleasingly alluring. We distinguish ripe yellow fruits like apricots, apples, yellow plums, sultana, mango, pineapple, candied orange and honey. These are followed by a gentle note of butter serving as an overture to vanilla, cloves, saffron, dried leaves, and finishing with a slight touch of cedar.

The taste is dry, softly hugging our mouth, moderately warming it. Its crispy grip refreshes us, leaving a slightly astringent feel. An intense, pronouncedly elegant wine of lasting persistency emanating flavours of dry stone fruit, sweet spices and herbs with a vigorous body. A real wine of majesty!

It has the potential to mature for at least the following seven years, and for people that love macerated white wines, this will be a real treat. A bottle will cost you approximately 28 Eur, and you can get it at Koželj, Vinoteka Sodček, TuamV and Vida Wines.