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.75 Liter
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Movia Tokai Gredic 2008
Varietal: Tocai Friulano
Region:
The ancestry of the grape is widely debated: Some claim it is a relation of Furmint, the grape that fashions Hungary’s eminent Tokaji. (Friulano was added to the name “Tocai” to distinguish it from the famous dessert wine; eventually the wine may simply be labeled Friulano, in accordance with arrangements established by the EU.) Others assert that it is a relation of France’s Sauvignon Blanc, resting their claim in the kinship they perceive between Tocai and Sauvignon Vert or Sauvignonasse.
As the grape realizes an impressive stylistic breadth, its pairing skills extend far beyond its native table. Fuller renditions ably handle strong cheeses, while crisp styles highlighting pear flavors and minerality work particularly well in the seafood category. Kristancic’s version inhabits the former realm in its dense fruit, overt contribution from lees’ aging, and musk-infused aroma. Despite this weighty constitution, it delivers a strikingly fresh impression on the palate, displaying a cleansing, acidic verve. It is aged for a one-year period in Slavonian oak, followed by refinement in bottle for four months.
About the Producer
Movia
has been producing wine for more than three centuries; purchased by the
Kristancic family in 1820, it is currently under the direction of Ales,
a French- and Italian-trained winemaker. Ales pursues a historically
minded but radical approach to winemaking that includes aging of the
whites in 600-liter Slavonian oak casks or traditional Slavonian
barriques, leaving them on the lees without stirring for more than two
years. His approach to the reds is no less novel, with each being
treated in accordance with its particular makeup. As with the whites,
maturation is performed exclusively in small Slavonian oak casks.
Racking is never performed, and the fining and filtering procedures are
governed by the atmospheric pressure incurred by the arrival of the new
moon. This constitutes a wholly natural approach that presents the
wines in a state of brilliant clarity. Students and winemakers around
the globe study his techniques, and many visit him to observe and learn
firsthand. His vinification and viticultural philosophy cannot be
construed as either traditional or even purely natural: rather, it is a
reflection of a collective wisdom acquired and refined over two
centuries of winemaking at the Movia estate. Terms that have been
rendered virtually meaningless in the wine world due to gratuitous
usage—green harvest, 100% new French barrique, and low yields—are not
part of Movia’s viticultural frame of reference. Production is informed
by fine-tuned biodynamic principles that reflect a thorough
understanding of vine and root management. |
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