Milan Nestarec - PodFuck Magnum - 2021 - 12% - Zadní Field Blend
An excellent vintage, IMO one of the best of the last 10 years (paralleled only by 2013, or recently 2023). It's rare to have a vintage that's great for both whites and reds, but 2021 was one such year. The ripening was very slow – it even stopped completely for a while, a moment of panic, but then the indulgent, late summer sun kicked in and as a result, the grapes reached perfect fenolic maturity while retaining solid acidity. In the cellar, the wines needed some time as well, gradually building and revealing themselves on their gros lees. That's why we only released them after nearly 3 years of elevage – it's hard to be this patient, especially for me, but experience helps. Exceptional vintage, wines with endless potential.
Grape varieties Blaufrankisch 55 %, Pinot Noir 30 %, Pinot Gris 15%
Region Moravia
Subregion Velkopavlovická
Village Velké Bílovice
Vineyard Zadní Hora
Aspect South-west
Average altitude 225 m
Slope ASL 12 %
Soil Loess
Farming Organic (certified by ABCERT)
Age of vines 35–40 years
Vineyard size 1.4 ha
Training system Guyot
Density of plantation 2.20 x 1.00 m
Yield 19 hl/ha
Harvest By hand October 7, 2021
Vinification Classic open vat maceration with manual punchdowns, 3 weeks on skins. T he Pinot Noir and Gris were vinified together, Blaufrankisch separately. Blended before bottling.
Pressing Free-run juice only
Fermentation Spontaneous
Ageing Stockinger oak barrel, 3000 litres, used
Fining No
Filtration No
Sulfur addition 2 ppm before bottling
Bottling August 14, 2024
Lot number POD2021
Alcohol by volume 13.0 %
Acids 5.8 g/l
Residual sugar 0.1 g/l
Bottle 0.75 l, 1.5 l, 3 l, 5 l. Vetropack Burgundy
Closure Ardeaseal Organic
Serving temperature 17–18 °C
Different different but same: this wine has undergone quite a transformation with me during its existence (described in-depth on our website). I dare say that we have found its ideal expression, one that does justice to this early-ripening, forest-protected vineyard. Pinot Gris as a bridge between our beloved Blaufrankisch that constitutes the majority of this vintage and the noblesse of Pinot Noir. Elegance, roundness, finesse.
Organic product – certified by ABCERT - CZ-BIO-002
The White Labels are our top-shelf wines, the pinnacle of our work. Hailing from our most interesting micro-locations, oldest vines, and often field blends. This unique energy is preserved by the gentlest treatment and several years of undisturbed ageing in our cellar. Minimal interventions, maximum genius loci.
These wines speak about our quest for elegance in all our imperfections. Purism inside and out. Pouring in our hearts as well as all our long-term work and know-how, something I'm proud of. All that is reflected on the labels. When working on them, we took out elements that weren’t essential until only my signature and the name of the wine remained. Because, as they say, perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
I don't wanna look like a natural-born sage - it took me some time to get there. My journey, like many others, has been paved with gold engravings and curlicues, like on a fancy tombstone. “Nestarec, a wine for funerals”, as a friend of mine dubbed it back then. Oops. But I remember that period fondly - it's a part of my evolution. No regrets, like in that famous Edith Piaf song.