Polish wine exploration: Winnica Moderna
Website: https://www.winnicamoderna.pl/
Winnica Moderna is based in Poland’s Lower Silesian region, which is one of the warmest parts of the country. Their vineyards are in the Trzebnickie Hills, and I tasted the wines with owner Nestor Kościański (pictured below).
Winnica Moderna Pet Nat 2023 Silesia, Poland
This is a blend of Johanniter, Riesling and Scheurebe, and it’s a brut nature. It’s undisgorged. They split the juice into two, fermenting on portion then adding the remainder (which has been kept in a fridge) on bottling. This is fruity, lively and bright with nice energy and good acidity. Juicy, bright and alive, this is limey with lovely purity and texture. Serious. 92/100
Winnica Moderna Pet Nat Rosé 2023 Silesia, Poland
This is 80% Rondo and 20% Pinot Gris. Fruity and lively with good acidity, this shows textured cherry, pear and lime fruit. Zesty and alert with lovely fruit. 90/100
Winnica Moderna Chardonnay Sur Lie 2022 Silesia, Poland
13% alcohol. Stainless steel. This is fruity and lively with apples, wax and pear. Shows nice texture and depth with a hint of almond. Fine and expressive. 90/100
Winnica Moderna Chardonnay Sur Lie & Barrique 2022 Silesia, Poland
Complex with almond and woody notes, as well as bold, textured pear and peach fruit. Nice density and fruit intensity, with a savoury twist. 90/100
Winnica Moderna Pinot Noir 2022 Silesia, Poland
Sandy clay soils in lower Silesia, with 3.1 hectares of vines. They grow both vinifera and resistant varieties, with a focus on vinifera, including Riesling and Pinot Noir. This Pinot is made from French clones. 10 days on skins, 14 months in used oak. Juicy, bright and pure with nice focused red cherry and raspberry fruit. It’s quite fresh and very focused with lovely direct fruit. Lovely purity to the fruit with some elegance, although it’s a tiny bit rigid and hollow on the mid-palate. But really impressive and pure, with high acid apparent. The fruit is fully ripe, though. 92/100
Winnica Moderna Cabernet Cortis 2022 Silesia, Poland
Chalky, gravelly nose with a hint of beetroot. Lovely weight on the palate, with chalky, spicy notes showing nice weight and some grippy character, as well as some green hints. Mouthfilling and satisfying. 91/100
