Milan Nestarec - Nase -2022 - 11,5% - regio Moravia

Shaking makes you feel good


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 Naše.

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.

The second vintage of this wine – I wasn’t sure if I’d repeat it but
as it was fermenting, its structure and aromas hinted at the perfect
material for an encore. Naše comes from a young vineyard we planted in 2017 by ourselves right under the new winery – a plot I probably spend the most time in. I’m very happy with how it turned out: an exuberant, lively free thinker. I know I often swear by old vines. Which 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.)

2022 was a very dry and hot year, with only 421 mm of rainfall (= about 100 mm less than average) and 32+days with temperatures exceeding 30 °C between June and August. While the younger vineyards visibly suffered, the older vineyards coped very well, and we did our best to adapt the vineyard management, in order to
keep as much shade and water as possible. The temperatures dropped radically at the end of August and the ripening became very slow, thanks also to the nearly–constant September rain. Fortunately, warmer weather returned in October and saved the vintage’s reputation, especially for late varieties such as my beloved
Gruner Veltliner and Blaufrankisch. Fermentations in general were slower than usual (not just in our region but more or less in the whole of Central Europe, afaik), but in the end, the wines are tasty, aromatic and accessible, with lower acidity and lower ABV, ready to be drunk quickly.

Grape varieties Riesling, Welschriesling, Neuburger, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc
Region Moravia
Subregion Velkopavlovická
Village Velké Bílovice
Vineyard Firma
Aspect East
Average altitude 205 m ASL
Slope 5–7 %
Soil Loess mixed with clay
Farming Organic (certified by ABCERT)
Age of vines Planted in 2017
Vineyard size 1.9 ha
Training system Guyot + Cordon
Density of plantation 2.20 x 0.9 m
Yield 50 hl/ha
Harvest By hand, all grapes together,
October 2–4, 2022
Vinification Sorted by hand
Pressing Direct press of whole bunches,
20+ hours
Fermentation Spontaneous, in stainless steel tanks
Ageing Stainless steel + bottle
Fining No
Filtration No
Sulfur addition No
Bottling December 2022 with 8 g/l residual
sugar. Undisgorged
Lot number Nase22
Alcohol by volume 11.5 %
Acids 7.0 g/l
Residual sugar 0.1 g/l
Bottle 0.75 l. Clear Sekt bottle, Vetropack.
Closure Crown cap
Serving temperature 9–10 °C