Milan Nestarec - Moje 2 - NV (2019-2020) - 12% - Brut Nature - regio Moravia

And at that point the Sun should rise

Non-vintage 100% Riesling from our Babušák (aka Achtele) plot, with delicate fizz coming from secondary fermentation in the bottle. I wanted to make something else than a pet-nat - not a Champagne of course (I love me a good grower but that's precisely why I know it's no use trying to reproduce it in Moravia; let's just do our own thing here).

And so we did – first in 2016, as a trial when we used the fresh fermenting Riesling must to kick-start the re-fermentation of 2015 still wine from the same site. It was already so good that barely any bottle made it outside of the winery. We only shared a couple of them with our friends at the Michelin-starred La Dégustation in Prague.

The first official edition ever was based on vintages 2018 and 19 and appeared in late 2020 (eventful year, right); the current #2 released in 2023 blends 2020 and 2019. Newly also available in magnums (limited quantity).

MOJE has the signature Nestarec electricity and instant aromatic grip of our ever-popular Danger 380V, but there's something more to it, something I call the X-factor. Maybe it's the “noble” grape, maybe the secondary bottle fermentation, maybe the unique loess terroir of Velke Bílovice: whatever it is, it makes MOJE really enticing. A bright matter whose gravity pulls you right in and makes you want to explore more of what's in there.

Hence also the name - it means My or Mine in Czech, and I stand behind it 300%. (Pronounced [mō-yeh] although I like the idea of hearing it sound like "mojo" because this wine surely has one.)

We wanted to reflect this stellar, introspective character on the bottle as well. We found some lovely NASA vintage pictures – I always loved those – and made a little "comic strip" consisting of six different versions of both front and back label; each case contains one of each to tell you the whole story of the wine's life, from the plantation of the vines to its release on the day of the 2020 winter solstice.

*OK, one more nerdy story since you made it this far: one of the back labels says "I certainly don't think that we will earn much money on this, but at least it will allow us to take pictures for free." Which ain't my quote - Arvid Viktor Hasselblad, son of the founder of the now-iconic eponymous Swedish brand of cameras, reportedly said this when starting the photographic division of the company. He'd probably be surprised to learn that this unambitious venture of his made it as far as the universe: custom-made Hassies were the only cameras used by NASA on all missions during the first years of space exploration. There are apparently 12 of them still sitting on the Moon surface, left behind to save weight; given their iconic status and consequent price, the trip to the Moon looks quite tempting...

The backbone of this wine (75%) comes from 2019, a balanced and
classical vintage, complimented by addition of the 2020 must for
freshness, bubbles and energy. Disgorged, zero dosage.

Non-vintage 100% Riesling from a single vineyard, with delicate fizz coming from secondary fermentation in the bottle. The wine has the signature Nestarec electricity and instant aromatic grip of Danger, but there’s something more to it, something I call the X-factor, coming probably from the marriage of Bilovice loess, the noble grape and time spent lounging on lees. Every time I taste it, I’m amazed that we’ve made something this...captivating! Hence the name - it means My or Mine in Czech, and I stand behind it 300%. (Pronounced [mōyeh] although I like the idea of hearing it sound like
“mojo” because this wine surely has one.)

Grape varieties Riesling
Region Moravia
Subregion Velkopavlovická
Village Velké Bílovice
Vineyard Achtele
Aspect South-west
Average altitude 260 m ASL
Slope 7%
Soil Sand and loess
Farming Organic (certified by ABCERT)
Age of vines Planted in 2015
Vineyard size 0.95 ha
Training system Guyot
Density of plantation 2.0 x 1.0 m
Yield 28 hl/ha
Harvest By hand
Vinification Traditional method with assemblage
of vins clairs and then secondary
fermentation in bottles (by addition
of slowly fermenting 2020 must)
Pressing Slow direct press
Fermentation Spontaneous, in acacia barrels
Ageing Acacia barrels for the base wines, then in bottles
Fining No
Filtration No
Sulfur addition No
Bottling August 5, 2021. Disgorged in October
2023. Zero dosage (brut nature)
Lot number MOJ2
Alcohol by volume 12.0%
Acids 7.1 g/l
Residual sugar 2.4 g/l
Bottle 0.75l. Green Sekt bottle, Vetropack.
Closure Crown cap
Serving temperature 9–10 °C