Milan Nestarec – Nose 2022

What Milan says:

A brand new field blend straight from our “chateau”. We have a young vineyard we planted a couple of years ago by ourselves, a plot I probably spend most of the time in because it's right under the winery. Naše is basically the first harvest and the first wine from this country, which is always an exciting thing to discover. I'm very happy with how it turned out: an exuberant, lively free thinker. I know I often swear by old vines. This is still true, but… Naše (= ours in Czech) is a wine that is ultimately more important than I thought. Hence the name. (Which, as you may have guessed, was originally a bit of a reference to Moje, aka Mine. And the label is in turn a reference to the signpost that marks the beginning and end of our village and stands literally 3 steps from the entrance to our winery.)

Naše is truly Ours in the sense that it reflects us and reminds us of who we are. It is a tribute to us, our place and our people. It is a legacy of our team work – my immediate and extended family as well as many colleagues. It is a thank you to our Bílovice, to the land. Because Nestarec is all these things. But no more sentimentality, because this wine is the exact opposite of that. It's a celebration of everyday life and freedom.

I admit that mild fizz wasn't quite the plan – the wine has taken its time to ferment and might still be going. So in early June 2022, I thought why not take advantage of it and bottle it, to let the fermentation finish there? Let's share some of the magic of the mighty yeast with those who like to drink our wines. So that's how I met your nose.

A little funky wildness on the nose. Lots of lively nervous acidity, yet tannic grip at the same time. This wine deserves a shake to stir lees before serving, as the back label suggests.