Exploring Bulgarian Wine (2) Tipchenitza Winery
Website: https://tipchenitza.bg/en/
Tipchenitza was the first stop on our exploration of Buglarian wine. This is based in the hilly northwest Bulgaria. The vineyards are some 5 km above the winery at an altitude of 600 m.
This is a relatively new winery that was formed in 2018, and there’s still plenty of building work taking place as they prepare a hospitality space, which will be quite large. This was a big communist farm in the past, and had a sizeable nursery operation. Until 2018 they were still operating as a nursery as well as growing grapes, but everything was restarted that year and the nursery operation stopped.
We met with Velin Djidjev, one of the co-owners, and Nadia Mineva who is winemaker and co-owner. The vineyards were mostly planted between 2004 and 2007, and for a decade or more the grapes were sold, until they decided that to make the venture financially sustainable they had to make their own wines. They have 25 hectares of vines, although quite a lot of this is being replanted at the moment. They also buy grapes from other growers in the region, and the predominant soil type here is red clays and limestone. The climate is favourable, with a wide diurnal temperature variation.
Nadia was a biochemical engineer from Sofia university, and she did her masters in viticulture and enology at Montpellier. She started working at big wineries in Bulgaria, and then she met Velin and they decided this would be a good time to start something smaller. In Bulgaria a small winery is under 100 tons crushed annually; above this size the rules become more complicated. For example, if you are a bigger winery everyone coming into the winery is filmed and this feed goes to the authorities, which makes wine tourism complicated.
They harvest into 10 kg crates and sort the grapes by hand, and also have temperature control in the winery.
The northwest of Bulgaria is the most under-developed in the European Union, and it’s also quite close to the capital, Sofia, so many people have moved here.
They have two ranges, with the entry level called Tochka. These are packed in lightweight 415 g bottles with a screwcap, and are earlier drinking wines.
THE WINES
Tochka Vrachanski Misket 2023 Bulgaria
Vrachanski Misket is the original Misket, and all the others are crosses. No oak here. Highly aromatic with grape and lemon fruit, with a fresh intense palate showing pithy lemony fruit, some floral notes and nice acidity. Dry and crisp with good intensity, finishing with some grapefruit pith notes. Fresh, fruity and floral with good balance and plenty of personality. 90/100
Tochka Chardonnay Colombard 2023 Bulgaria
The Colombard comes from the south of Bulgaria, the Chardonnay is from their own vineyards. Fresh, juicy, pure and floral with nice citrus and pear fruit with nice purity. A very fruity style. Nice pithy bitterness on the finish. 88/100
Tipchenitza Riesling 2023 Bulgaria
Skin contact in the rotofermenter. This is lively and focused with a brisk citrus core, showing some stony notes and nice acidity. Very lively and bright with freshness and a bit of structure. Not a floral or overtly fruity style, but more structural. 91/100
Tipchenitza Rkatsiteli 2023 Bulgaria
Skin contact in rotofermenter. Bright and fruity, and quite stony. Nice lemony fruit with a twist of almond, and nice freshness, with some structure. There’s elegance here: not too much fruitiness. 90/100
Tipchenitza Enologist Selection 2021 Bulgaria
A blend of three varieties, made naturally with no additions, aged in bottle three years. Nice weight here with apple, pear and white peach, with some honeyed notes. There’s some richness and depth here, with a soft texture and some nuttiness. Finishes with almond. 91/100
Tipchenitza Oak Barrel Vrachanski Misket 2022 Bulgaria
She was the first to barrel age Vrachanski Misket in 2020. Lively and bright with good acidity and some stony, mineral notes integrating with some spicy oak. Finishes bright and slightly sour and bitter on the finish. Gastronomic wine. 88/100
Tipchenitza Oak Barrel Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Bulgaria
This is a powerful expression of Sauvignon Blanc with some firm, spicy oak and a touch of whisky, with nice acidity. Some savouriness here with good acidity. 86/100
Tipchenitza Oak Barrel Chardonnay Vrachanski Misket 2022 Bulgaria
Savoury and stony with nice pear and citrus fruit as well as some spicy oak in the mix. There’s a savoury structure to this wine which has a good acid line and nice intensity. Gastronomic. 89/100
Tipchenitza Orange 2022 Bulgaria
Vrachanski Misket 3 months on skins, then six months on lees. Very floral and expressive with lovely floral notes on the nose, with pear and peach as well as some almond and honey. The palate is fresh, fruity, floral and intense showing good acidity and nice structure. Grippy finish. 93/100
Tipchenitza Oak Barrel Rosé 2022 Bulgaria
Rubin, 6 months in new French oak. Nice freshness with citrus, pear and cherry notes, finishing dry. There’s a strong spicy impact from the oak which makes the wine quite savoury. Primary and with potential for ageing. The oak is forward but this is a gastronomic rosé and it could be really interesting. 92/100
Tipchenitza Tochka Rubin 2022 Bulgaria
Vivid, bright, raspberry and cherry fruit with a touch of savoury spiciness and good acidity. This is structured and bold with nice freshness but also real intensity. Grippy finish, with some meaty hints. Gastronomic, and has personality. 90/100
Tipchenitza Young Gamza 2023 Bulgaria
12.5% alcohol. Juicy and bright with nice sweet fruit. This has juicy cherry and raspberry fruit with a bit of crunch on the finish. Bright with a bit of grip and a bitter tang on the finish. Lovely balance. 90/100
Tipchenitza Oak Barrel Rubin 2022 (cask sample)
Vivid, spicy and dense with powerful, tannin-rich black cherry and blackberry fruit. Such density here with a core of sweet fruit and then some lovely savoury, spicy, slightly meaty character providing balance. This is very tannic and should develop in interesting ways. 91/100
Tipchenitza Oak Barrel Merlot 2018 Bulgaria
This was Nadia’s first vintage. Sweetly aromatic and spicy with some wood spice, a nice green leafy edge, and some blackcurrant fruit. Ripe and mellow on the palate with some well-integrated oak and some sweet cherry and plum fruit. Warm and finely spiced with a hint of almond. 91/100
Tipchenitza Red Badger Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Bulgaria
16% alcohol, 10 g/l barrel. No oak here, bottled from tank with no additions. 2500 litre tank, and 1000 litres went to bottle and 1500 litres in barrel (which we tasted). Powerful and intense and a bit disjointed with tannins sticking out, very rich and sweet with blackcurrant and hints of spice and tar. Impactful with a sense of deliciousness, but quite dramatic. 88/100
EXPLORING BULGARIAN WINE
- Introduction
- Tipchenitza Winery
- The Jolly Vintners
- Château Burgozone
- Bononia Estate
- Magura
- Katarzyna Wine
- Villa Melnik
- Aya Estate
- Other wines tasted
