Exploring Bulgarian wine (3) The Jolly Vintners
Website: https://thejollyvintners.com/en/home-en/
The second visit of the Bulgarian trip was an interesting one, and we tasted beside the Iscar river, in Lyutibrod village in north western Bulgaria. Here, there are some beautiful rocks – the Ritlite rocks, made of limestone, jutting up dramatically.
This is a negociant operation, but they also have a vineyard. The people behind the project are Dimitar Dimitov and Ivana Tsatova. Their vineyard is small, so they use this to experiment with different blends, and this is just red varieties. Their idea is to grow some ‘spice’ international varieties to then mix with the Bulgarian varieties.
They started doing this blending in 2019 after a severe hailstorm on their own vineyard. The name ‘Jolly Vintners’ suggests they don’t take themselves too seriously and aren’t trying to make big wines.
He’s a lawyer and she’s a physicist, and 10 years ago they decided to do something else. They aren’t professionally trained. Big wineries let them come and make their own blends, as well as making wines from their own 5 acres (2 hectares) of vines. They have grass and herbs in the vineyard and use sheep in the winter. ‘It looks more like a park than a vineyard,’ says Ivana.
In the last 15 years there has been a lot of investment in wineries, helped by European funds. This has led to a significant volume of wine that has to be sold, says Dimitar. Bulgarian exports aren’t good, and a lot of people want to sell wine. Many wineries are involved who are secondary business interests. There are just 6 million people here. So maybe 500 000 drink wine. Everyone competes for these customers.
All the grapes they use are sourced from North Bulgaria.
THE WINES
The White Danube 2023
Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Bright, linear and stony with fresh citrus and pear fruit. There’s nice intensity here with good acidity. Linear and bright with nice personality. 91/100
The White Danube NV
Mostly 2022, but with 20% of 2021 (the Chardonnay component). Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay (2021) and Aligoté. Fresh and supple with lovely pear and citrus fruit, with some herbal hints and a nice texture. Finishes quite stony with a touch of pithiness. Nicely stony and vivid. 89/100
Jolly in Rose 2022
Pinot Noir and Gamza. Pale orange/pink in colour, this is a fruity, slightly stony/mineral dry rosé with sweet strawberry and cherry fruit, as well as a touch of lime. Some dried fruits and spice here adding savoury interest, as well as some wild herbs. Quite gastronomic with real appeal. 91/100
The Hedgehogs NV
Cabernet Sauvignon (2020 and 2021) and Gamza (2022). Juicy and bright with nice cherry and plum fruit, with some fine green notes as well as a twist of blackcurrant. Lovely balance: there’s some savoury detail and nice richness, but also freshness and focus. Very stylish, with some sweetness and a nice spicy edge. 91/100
Madame Rechka 2021
This is from their vineyard. Cinsualt, Syrah, Mourvedre and Merlot. 6 months in old oak. This is dense and robust with lovely blackcurrant and black cherry fruit. Intense with wild spicy cherry fruit and nice density. Has some tannic grip as well as lovely fruit, finishing fresh. 92/100
The Mulberries 2021
A blend of Mavrud with the rest from the vineyard – a blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Used French oak. This is bright and juicy with red cherries and redcurrant as well as some sweet berries. There’s nice intensity here with a bit of grip on the finish. Lovely brightness here. 92/100
The Mulberries MV
This year they used local barrels from 20 km away. Cabernet Franc (2021 and 2022) and Syrah (2022) aged in new Bulgarian oak. Dense and spicy with quite a bit of oak character in the mix. Vivid black cherries and blackcurrant with a grippy savoury twist and some cocoa and chocolate and coffee. Vivid and intense. 91/100
The Wild Cherry 2022
Red blend with Cinsualt, Syrah and Mavrud. Vivid and bright with firm tannins under the sweet, bold black cherry and blackberry fruit. Tannic and robust, but with good balance, and some spicy oak adding a savoury twist to the palate. Give this one a bit of time to resolve, but lovely potential. 91/100
EXPLORING BULGARIAN WINE
- Introduction
- Tipchenitza Winery
- The Jolly Vintners
- Château Burgozone
- Bononia Estate
- Magura
- Katarzyna Wine
- Villa Melnik
- Aya Estate
- Other wines tasted
