Marjan Simcic, Ribolla Opoka, Goriska Brda, Slovenia, 2014

91
Tasted by: Amy Wislocki
(at Decanter's November 2017 Fine Wine Encounter, London, 12 Nov 2017)
Drinking Window: 2018 - 2021
Award-winning winemaker Marjan Simcic has helped to bring the wines of Slovenia to a new, fine-wine audience, demonstrating the potential of the Goriska Brda region and of the Ribolla grape. 'It's a neutral grape, and soaks up terroir,' he says. In this case, that terroir is 'opoka', a slate soil rich in minerals that produces incredibly low yields of around three to four bunches per vine. The fruit undergoes further selection before a partial maceration at low temperature. It's aged for almost two years in conical 500-litre oak vats, before a further 18 months of bottle ageing. The result is a wine of gorgeous texture; mid-gold in the glass, with concentrated characters of bruised apple and almonds. Mineral and complex.
Producer
Marjan Simcic
Brand
Ribolla Opoka
Vintage
2014
Wine Type
Still
Colour
White
Country
Slovenia
Region
Goriska Brda
Sweetness
Dry
Alcohol
13.50%
Body
Medium
Oak
Oaked
Grapes
100% Ribolla Gialla