Movia – Merlot, 2015

Let’s have a peek at Movia, where I hear they started with harvest, and the Sauvignon vert is already fermenting … But tonight, we’ll look at their barrique matured Merlot.

Grapes for this wine come from the south-east facing vineyard Brežič where vines count four decennia and are trained in the mono-guyot system. Bunches are destemmed, crushed and spontaneous fermentation starts in vats. Gentle pressing happens a week after the pomace has stopped fermenting, and the wine is then racked into French barriques to mature for three years. During this time also complete malolactic fermentation occurs. Finally, the wine is bottled without filtration and usually waits for at least two years before coming to the market.

Movia’s Merlot presents with a deep, ruby red colour. The turn in the glass stops quickly, leaving a thick border with slowly slipping tears along the walls of the glass.

Its aromas are intense, recalling ripe black cherry, mulberry and plum. Hibiscus petals are intertwined with a touch of laurel, followed by hints of vanilla, butter and caramel. Finally, scents of chocolate, carob, cedar, eucalyptus and smoke appear in its finish.

The taste is rounded, soft and reasonably warm. At the same time, it refreshes us, while astringent tannins that act silky but still virtuous dry our mouth—a Merlot with an intense taste of lasting persistence, revealing its accentuated, full-bodied elegance. Flavours of ripe fruit, herbs, sweet spices and smoke are confirmed on the palate.

It is a wine that you can enjoy now, but it has the stamina to mature and evolve even further for at least the next ten years, if not even more. A bottle will cost you 28 Eur, and you can order it at Dobro vino, eVino, Vinoteka Sodček, Wino.si, and Wine You.