Time to introduce you to another winemaker tonight, one that was missing at this blog, and I’m happy to be able to present it to you finally. We’re in Prekmurje, at the Marof wine cellar, where Uroš Valcl crafts world-class expressions of wines. We’ll have a look at one of those tonight; their Sauvignon Bodonci matured in oak.

Bodonci is the name of one of Marof’s climat, hence also the addition of “Grand Cru”. It is their warmest and most southern plot where Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The climate here is continental with influences from the Pannonian Basin.

The Sauvignon Blanc vineyard was planted in 1988 in soils composed of basalt tuff, phyllite slate, calcareous sandy marl and residual marine sediments at altitudes between 320 and 350 meters above sea level. Vines are exclusively organically farmed.

Only selected bunches were used for the production of this wine. After destemming and crushing, they were placed into vats for spontaneous fermentation with autochthonous yeast and two days of skin contact. Finally, they were racked into 25hl oak casks with fine lees, where they matured for 35 months until finally being bottled without filtration and fining. After a 10-mont bottle maturation, Savugino Bodonci finally saw the light of the market.

It displays a brilliant, crystal clear golden yellow colour and dense texture.

Its bouquet is sophisticated and intense. We detect green apples, papaya that merge with scents of sage, rosemary and tomato leaf, all nicely supported by green peppercorns. Over time, notes of butter, cedar, pan-brioche and marzipan open up.

The taste is soft and relatively warm, at the same time fresh and minerally salty. It is an intense wine that spoils us with the same flavour profile on the palate, showing its bold structure and long-lasting, noble aftertaste.

A wine for meditation or to open in the company of your friends or someone who matters to you, but it will easily keep its shape stored in the cellar for at least the next ten years. A bottle will cost you approximately 35 Eur, and you can order it at Koželj, Odilon wijnen and Ordan.