Stekar Malvazija (Skin Contact) 2021 (750 ml)

The Malvazija is a uniquely beautiful wine from this estate, full of character and style from the Malvasia (locally Malvazija) grape.  After a hand-harvesting from the young Pročno vineyard, and 7 days with skin contact in stainless steel, the must then finishes fermentation and 9 months of aging in used 400L acacia barrels in order to give extra structure and to aid in bringing out the floral components of the grape.  There was no added sulfites used for the entire vinification process, and the finished wine is intense in the nose, with beautiful fruit tones, robust herbal quality, and even hints of acacia flower.  It is fresh while very full-bodied, harmonious in alcohol and acidity, and overall very balanced and wonderful for drinking solo, or around a feast of charcuterie and cheeses.

The Štekar family started with humble beginnings in the Goriška Brda zone of Slovenia back in 1985, when Roman Štekar began the winery alongside a small agriturismo. Today, his son Jure runs this lovely natural winery in the stunning hills of western Slovenia, being at least the 4th generation of winemakers but with family history dating back to the 1700’s. Originally, they were farmers for a nearby cooperative until the cellar took form, and now they are dedicated to the best fruit they can grow; farming 11 hectares of vines nestled within another 22 hectares of cherry orchards and forest. In 2006, the winery received its organic certification, showing further their commitment to low-impact start-to-finish wine making which they have supported since the beginning. The vines are the most important factor that lead to the incredible depth of Jure’s skin-fermented range, and are the only part of the process that ever sees any sulfite use, and the rest of the process is handling the perfect grapes in the most natural way possible. A wide range in types of woods and their sizes are the predominant vessels in the cellar for natural fermentations as well as aging for development. With no filtration or fining, the Štekar wines result as pure expressions of the local varieties with a soft and delicious approach, making for incredible natural skin-contact wines in the region that is possibly most famous for the category.

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