A fascinating experience ... like listening to Keith Jarrett for the first time. Your head goes "what is this?". You don't quite have a frame of reference but you know you want to hear more of this lovely music...
I will say that the wine is a bit underwhelming in its aromatics, however the palate is utterly unique and sort of defies description simply because of my unfamiliarity with this genre. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling Italico... marzipan and mellow orange with a bit of spice...
Visually and texturally stunning, it demands decanting. The closest frame of reference I have for this wine is perhaps a great Hermitage Blanc .. for some reason it just reminds me of that style...
Definitely evolves over time... opened it and let it breathe for about an hour before pairing it with chicken Dijon ... however it was gone from the decanter all too quickly... we needed another bottle open and ready for stage two ... perhaps another day.
For comparison, we teed up the Gravner next to a 1996 Girardin Meursault Les Charmes in another decanter ... the Gravner disappeared ... it was too fascinating to last and went incredibly well with the chicken Dijon...
From the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy, Gravner ferments his wines in large terra cotta amphorae. The juice has extended contact with the skins during fermentation which imparts the unique orange color.
Wine then spends six years (!) in barrel (Slovenian oak)...
