Milan Nestarec TRBLMKR

Regular price $40.00

WInemaker: Milan Nestarec

Appellation: Moravský Žižkov and Velké Bílovice, Czech Republic

Grape Varieties: Neuburger, supported by Malvasia, red and even some table grapes like Chasselas

Milan on this wine: “This is basically me, bottled. A wine so important and characteristical of who I am that I use it instead of business cards. Not love at first sight, but if you’re on the same wavelength, you might become friends for life. Not a big talker, more of a thinker. But opens up and even cracks jokes when surrounded by like-minded people.”

“This wine is always based on Neuburger (Neuburské), the once-popular local variety that’s IMHO perfectly adapted to our soil. During the communist era, it was a popular piquette ingredient (pejoratively called “seconds” in Czech), as its fleshy berries are difficult to press and hence are prone to leave a lot of raw material in the pomace for a second serve. Nowadays, the grape is sadly disappearing, mostly due to its lower yields and compact grape, which makes it prone to rot. Case in point: when my father was looking for rootstock in 2001, there was a feeding frenzy for vines, but nobody wanted Neuburger, so we kind of went for what was left– and I couldn’t be happier now.”

“Flavour-wise, it’s rather neutral, but give it a bit of time to rest in the bottle and the reward and tertiary aromatics are just mind-blowing. As I said, if you want an instant crowd-pleaser, you’ll have to look elsewhere; if you like wines that encourage some exploration and reflection, this is probably right up your alley.”

Vineyard: Slovenské, one of the first vineyards that Milan’s parents planted themselves, in 2001. Loess, clay, chernozem. 

Grapes: 2018 is a single vineyard field-blend, based on Neuburger, supported by Malvasia, red and even some table grapes like Chasselas

Making of: The grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast in bigger old barrels from local oak or acacia wood, where it then lays undisturbed for ~2 years on its fine lees. No fining or filtration, no sulfur addition. 

Personality: iodine, almost “licking batteries” salty, pears, meadow flowers, kind of Tang-like citrusy notes. Opens up into layers and layers of compelling spiciness. Supported by distinct juicy acidity, this one is beautiful to drink now and will age beautifully – if you have the patience to wait, that is.