GRAVNER DINNER WITH MATEJA GRAVNER - Jano Restaurant, Wellington, NZ
I’m not really a fan of natural wines and had never before had a Josko Gravner wine. However, a friend said that they were very worth trying. After this dinner, I was impressed and agreed …
A dinner was organised at the excellent Jano restaurant, Wellington. They produced a great menu to match the wines.
Mateja Gravner, daughter of Josko, ably explained the winemaking approach to us.
The vineyard is in the Collio hills, right on the Italian/Slovenian border.
Gravner has been organic for years but has not sought to be certified. They also practice biodynamics (for example the use of algaes have allowed them to reduce copper and sulphur 40% in one year, Mateja said). They do not use fertilisers or chemicals in the vineyard but do continue to use sulphides to sterilise their wines.
They typically harvest later than their neighbours. They only harvest when the grapes are perfectly ripe and balanced, in their view.
During fermentation they punch down six times per day, dropping to once a day at MLF. They practice long macerations on the skins (including for whites), basket press to reduce sediment and use large format Slovenian oak barrels (no stainless steel).
They have 46 large format amphorae (Georgian qvevri) buried in the living soil, where the temperature changes with the season. The amphorae are sealed with beeswax, where Gravner ages the wines for up to seven years.
Mateja recommended not drinking the wines too cool - between 14 and 17 C - because they have been for years in the soil the wines have never been chilled.
The wines were well matched with an excellent meal at Jano, Wellington. We began with a Champagne …
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2007 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée - France, Champagne
Pale colour, small bead. An autolic bouquet, yeasty with tangelo and lemon citrus and underlying chalky minerals. In the mouth, a different impression. Precise, green apple acidity with lemons, wet river boulder and minerals. Sweet grapefruit and blood orange. Tactile with good structure and length. With time in the glass, as it warmed, a little croissant autolysis came forward. A good food Champagne. -
2007 Gravner Ribolla Gialla Anfora Venezia Giulia IGT - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Venezia Giulia IGT
The 2007 Ribolla is the current release on sale here, the 2008 in Italy. Ribolla is an ancient local variety. Mateja said that the Ribolla wines are aged for seven years in amphorae so that they are ready for consumption upon release. A bright, clean, light rusty red colour. An intriguing bouquet that is difficult to describe. Complex with hints of orange zest, spices, fragrant florals, forest floor and tartufi bianco. The palate quite different to the nose. Very intense and clean. The palate was an interesting combination of rich, unctuous and evolved one second, then fresh and intense the next, then back to evolved, then fresh, and so on … The savoury, sous bois, mushrooms and truffle elements mingle with the more primary citrus and orchard fruit elements. It paired beautifully with the onion, porcini and parmesan dish. There is real mid palate weight and good length here. Mateja said that some customers like to drink these wines fresh, on release, but others do like to cellar them, for a more evolved wine. -
2006 Gravner Ribolla Gialla Anfora Venezia Giulia IGT - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Venezia Giulia IGT
The 2006 was bottled in 2012. The gold colour of the 2006 is more intense due to the presence of botrytis, the grapes being harvested as late as 23 November. A deeper, richer bouquet of apricot, grapefruit, smoke, burnt toffee and butterscotch. On palate, the same evolved then fresh then evolved phenomenon … In fact, I thought the 2006 the better wine … richer, fuller, longer and more detailed. Nuances of red grapefruit, caramelised onion, brown spices, underbrush, apricots, oranges and a lovely, floral inner perfume. It was also a chameleon wine, is seemed to become more angular and acidic to match the prawns, leek and monk fish dish with which it was paired. -
2007 Gravner Bianco Venezia Giulia IGT - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Venezia Giulia IGT
The winery does not publish the percentages of the international grapes in the Bianco (and it varies across vintages). Mateja mentioned the varieties here: Sauvignon Blanc (35-40%), Pinot Grigio (“provides brilliant colour”), Chardonnay (but, for them, at 15-15.5% alcohol, it pushes up the alcohol of this blend, compared with the Ribollas) and Riesling (only 5-7%). The colour was a more brilliant amber than the Ribollas. A less expressive, nuanced bouquet than the Ribollas. More delicate showing a touch of petrol, straw, autumn leaves and orange peel. On palate, good weight and acidity. Again, a good balance between freshness and maturity. Higher alcohol, more rich, voluptuous mandarin fruit. I liked the wine but found it less interesting and detailed than the Ribollas and wondered if this was due to the more familiar international varieties used. -
2004 Gravner Rosso Breg - Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Venezia Giulia IGT
100% Pignolo (another old local variety). “Rich in tannins” said Mateja adding that the 2004 was “very young and intense” and that the wine was a “very slowly evolving red, over 30-35 years”. The nose showed black cherry, blackberry and liquorice, hinting at the primary intensity. Very smooth and spherical, fine grained tannins on palate. Deep, dark and sleek, but with serious fruit weight and power. It paired well with the venison, red cabbage, blueberries and prunes dish. As with the Bianco, in some ways, however the Rosso did not stand out to me as being as individual, or as interesting a wine, as the pair of Ribollas.
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