Origin- Croatia

Region- Istria

Grapes- Malvasia Istriana
'
Type- White

Style- Rich, tropical and nutty with flavours of acacia flowers and honey

Alcohol- 12.5%

Straw yellow in colour, this wine stands out due to its ripe aromatics, and wide spectrum of notes. Aromas of apricot and spices are lifted by bright floral notes. The palate is rich with flavours of acacia flowers and honey, which lead to a long finish, characterised by a tropical-nutty tone. This style of wine is reminiscent of ancient Mediterranean styles and is suitable for ageing in bottle.

The grapes were manually sorted before crushing and destemming. The grapes were then macerated for 48 hours before skin-fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks, which lasted for a week. The wine was then transferred and aged on fine lees in French oak and acacia barrels for 30 months. It was then bottled and aged in bottle for a further 6 months prior to release.

Vineyards are located at 250-300 metres above sea level on limestone, marlstone and sandstone soils. The area is characterised by a Mediterranean climate, with mild and rainy winters followed by dry, hot summers. It is Matošević’s goal to slowly cut off the use of any chemicals, by using minimal pesticides and no herbicides. Instead, mechanical cultivation inside the rows is applied as well as mulching between the rows. The vines for this wine are old, and produce low yields of high quality grapes.

Widely recognised among his peers as one of the leaders of Croatia’s quality wine revolution, he was instrumental in establishing the Istrian appellation.

Ivica Matosevic has played a large role in championing Croatia’s native grape variety, Malvazija Istarska (Malvasia Istriana), coaxing out its complex herbal, mineral and slightly bitter almond characteristics. This is particularly evident in the ‘Alba’, which is fermented in stainless steel with no skin contact. The result is a fresh expression of the variety, with a rounded palate achieved from ageing for several months on its fine lees. Ivica has pushed the quality of his wine ever further with the ‘Alba Antiqua’.

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