2023 Piquentum Brut Nature
Istria, Croatia (Ees-tree-ya)
2023
Malvazija Istarska & Teran
Mediterranean
Flysch (white soil), 20% Karst (red soil)
Base wine Teran aged for a year in barrel. Then must of Malvazija added for 2nd fermentation. Aged for two years on the lees
12%
Notes & Pairings
For many years, Dimitri has also been the manager and right-hand man for Giorgio and Vesna at Clai Winery in northwestern Istria. Giorgio is an iconic natural winemaker and also a pioneer in traditional method sparkling wines. Following Giorgio’s retirement in 2023, Dimitri also left the company and is now putting everything into growing Piquentum. He did, however, learn quite a few things about making sparkling wines. For Clai, the grapes were mostly Chardonnay, Malvazija and a little Plavina. For Dimitri, Teran is the base wine aged for a year in barrel. For the secondary fermentation, he used the must of Malvazija Istarska to create a rosé in color, aromatic, and delicious Brut Natur. Aged for two years on the lees, he also went a step further and created the label from the post-fermentation sediment/disgorgement lees. He collected, pressed, dried, and added just 10% of paper pulp as binding. To our knowledge, this is the first wine label made from the wine itself. Because the lees are devoid of preservatives and chemicals, it’s very much alive. Given some time, humidity and light, it will start to grow and change on the bottle. It’s not going to go full Chia Pet right away, but it is a testament to Dimitri’s commitment to transparency, process, and the health of his fruit. The wine is also killer.
