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The
wines of Josko Gravner, Collio/Brda, Italy/Slovenia
A remarkable vertical tasting of these unique wines
Website: www.gravner.it
‘I make wines for myself. What’s
left—I sell.’ Josko Gravner
I’d read a lot about the wines of Josko
Gravner, but this was an unparalleled chance to try an extensive
range of them, spanning many years, over lunch at Alberico at
Aspinall’s in London. Aspinall’s is a private gambling club for
gentlemen, and in the toilets there are two leaflets – one to help
those with gambling problems, and the second explaining the ‘house
edge’. You could say that Gravner, with his lengthy macerations on
skins (these are white wines) and unusual elevage, is a wine
gambler. But his wines showed brilliantly, without exception, back
to 1998.
Josko
Gravner (left) with daughter Jana and Filippo Polidori (sales
manager)
Gravner is based in the rolling Collio
hills straddling the Italian/Slovenian border, and currently has 18
hectares under vine. A further 4 hectares have just been planted,
and there are 8 more that can be planted. But as a perfectionist he
is selling parcels off that he doesn’t like, fine-tuning the
vineyards based on observation and experience: the goal is to end up
with 25 hectares under vine.
Gravner is famous for his adoption of
amphorae (large clay pots, sealed with beeswax) for elevage. His
view is that you aren’t really using amphorae (which are imported
from Georgia, one of the few remaining countries with the facilities
for firing large examples) if you only have a few – now every wine
he makes is fermented in them, and he has 45 of them in the cellar.
‘You are not able to ride two horses at a time. If amphora is the
best way to make wine, then all the wine has to be made like that. I
am not against industry or technology,’ says Josko, ‘but we as
bodies are the same as we were 2000 years ago.’ But even the wines
from 2000, 1999 and 1998 that we tasted, which predated this switch
to amphora, were fantastic, and developing beautifully.
The wines showed very well, and worked
with an adventurous menu from Alberico Penati. It’s a privilege
indeed to be able to taste the Ribolla Gialla and Breg in pairs from
2005 back to 1999, with a 1998 Ribolla Reserva and 2003 Pignolo
Rosso to finish. I found myself straining for descriptors for these
wines, which all seemed youthful and full of life. To score them
made me feel I was committing some sort of absurdity. There is an
honesty to these wines that makes you question your approach as a
journalist.
Despite the incredible wines and fine
food, the lunch was also a poignant one. Almost exactly a year ago,
Josko’s son Miha died in a motorcycle accident, and there was a
long silence, filled with sadness, when Josko mentioned his son’s
name in an anecdote.
2003 was an important year for Josko.
‘We had no production because of hail on the 19th June,
which took 75% of production, and which the next day took the rest.
It was a very important year: in that moment I understood that a
farmer has a company without a roof. From 16 hectares we had less
than 2000 litres of wine. Picking grapes hidden behind posts allowed
me to make experiments with sulfur dioxide and without, and with
selected yeasts and without. The first wine to die was one with
selected yeasts. To do a natural ferment we have to start the work
in the vineyard with no systemic fungicides and no synthetic
fertilizers. Fertilizers are like drugs for humans: they give you
strength but they kill you. We use sulfur and copper. These are
products that pollute, but less than synthetics.’
In the cellar, Josko uses small
quantities of sulfur dioxide after fermentation has finished (he has
tried working without it and has realized that it’s not possible),
and uses long macerations for his whites. ‘The advantage with
white wines is that you can do six or seven month macerations,’
says Josko. ‘Reds need pressing earlier or else the skin absorbs
the colour back.’
‘I understand if you don’t like these
wines,’ says Josko. ‘They are not easy.’ But I am in no doubt
that I really like these wines. They are available in the UK from
Zubair Mohammed at Raeburn (one of the wine world’s geniuses), who
hosted the lunch along with his colleague David Harvey. I felt like
I wanted to take just one of these wines home and spend an evening
with it: these are wines that repay attention and reward the
patient, observant taster.
THE
WINES
Ribolla Gialla is Venezie Guilia IGT
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2005
Yellow/orange colour. Complex, taut, nutty and quite tannic with
nice freshness. Taut and mineralic with lovely structure. Currently
quite tight. 91/100
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2004
Orange colour. Aromatically mute. Taut, lemony, mineral palate
with good structure. Fine and focused with nice acidity. Lean, long
and fine. 92/100
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2003
Aromatic and quite pure with a waxy, lemony nose. The palate is
taut, structured, nutty and fresh with citrus and herb notes as well
as good structure. Lovely freshness. 93/100
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2002
Fresh, nutty, minerally and intense with lively mineral and
lemon notes, as well as some waxiness. Lovely precision and good
acidity, with a hint of mushroom. 91/100
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2001
Yellow/orange colour. Open, citrussy, herby and nutty nose. The
palate is light, waxy and taut with citrus and herb notes and fresh
lemony notes on the finish. 93/100
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2000
This was the last year when large open barrels were used for
fermentation. Yellow colour. Very fresh, precise and complex with
lime, spice and mineral notes and some subtle herb and toast
characters. The palate is fresh and structured with lovely precision
and a long, lemony finish. Beautiful. 94/100
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 1999
Fresh, complex, herby and nutty with nice depth and freshness.
There’s good structure and depth here. Fresh, tight and quite
minerally. Pure. 93/100
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 1998
Complex, savoury and nutty with intense notes of herbs, lemon
and wax. Firm structure and pronounced minerality. Tight and full
flavoured. 93/100
Breg is classified as Venzia Guilia IGT,
and is a blend of Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling
Italico
Gravner Breg 2005
Aromatically alive, with apricot, lemon and lime blossom notes
as well as richer nutty characters. The palate has lovely lightness
with overt minerality and fresh acidity. Pure with some structure.
94/100
Gravner Breg 2004
Orange colour. Powerful, nutty and mineral with delicate pear
and peach notes, finishing savoury and taut with nice minerality.
Fine with some fruitiness. Long and mineral, with good acidity.
92/100
Gravner Breg 2003
Taut nutty nose. The palate has some toasty, nutty warmth to it
with a hint of fudge. Rich yet fresh with nice tannins. Stylish and
warm. 93/100
Gravner Breg 2002
Taut and intense, and quite structured. Powerful, nutty deep and
a bit toasty. Long, showing real depth. 92/100
Gravner Breg 2001
Orange/brown colour. Complex, textured and subtly nutty, with
beautiful balance, with notes of citrus peel. Subtly nutty and waxy
with some fresh tannins. Stylish. 94/100
Gravner Breg 2000
Complex, fresh, nutty and quite pure with some pear and herb
notes. There’s great precision: citrus and toast to the fore, with
complex, mouthfilling character. Stunning. 95/100
Gravner Breg 1999
Yellow/orange colour. Lovely freshness with complex nutty, herby
and citrus notes. Precise, mineralic and structured with good
acidity and freshness. Some warmth here. 93/100
Gravner Breg 1998
Powerful, nutty and waxy with lovely minerality and stony depth.
Some toasty richness. Taut with lovely structure, and real
intensity. 95/100
Gravner Ribolla Reserva 1998
Orange colour. Fresh, nutty and herby with some mineral notes
and firm tannins. Taut and fresh with lovely nuttiness. Fresh and
long with some warmth on the finish. Complex and mouthfilling with
real depth and structure. 94/100
Gravner Pignolo Rosso 2003
Impressive. Sweet nose with warm cherry fruit. The palate is
dense and structured with firm, drying tannins as well as sweet,
vibrant fruit. A lovely wine: complex, tannic and firm. 92/100
Wines
tasted 05/10
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