Back in the spring of 2012, the first issue of the gastro magazine Akademija was unveiled, a great idea realized at the wrong time. The wine pages of Akademija offered a huge surprise to winemakers and magazine founders, who did not especially influence the work of a tasting jury led by respected sommelier Klaudijo Jurčić, Plavakamenica.hr wrote on November 6, 2016.
The Akademija jury declared as the best Croatian Malvasia the Montiron by Medea from Vodnjan, which we hadn’t tasted until then. The wine was significantly different in style from all usual Istrian favourites, but it was truly very, very good. About a year later in Plavi Podrum we tasted for the first time a wine offered by Daniela Kramarić, champion sommelier, her favourite Istrian Merlot. It was the Punta Greca and the producer was once again, Medea. Punta Greca’s reputation still holds today.
After spending a weekend in Istria, walking through olive groves in the middle of harvest and an exciting lesson in the Vodnjan oilery, we delved into prestigious Medea wines. We visited the Punta Greca position, the southernmost vineyard in Istria. Punta Greca is a surreal place, surrounded by sea on three sides and with endless dark green fields of kale and cabbage on the fourth.
To reach Punta Greca you can only drive off road through former military ranges, to find yourself in a vineyard overlooking Medulin, Ližnjan and nearby island, admiring a sea sunset and listening to the sea pounding the cape. This spectacular terroir, which can compete for Decanter’s open category The Joy of Terroir, gives the Punta Greca Merlot an unexpected mineral dimension, which makes it unique.
Punta Greca’s unique position carries a risk. This year the southern winds prevailed for days, laying a lot of salt on the grapes. The winds did not bring rain that usually cleans the salt, so a large portion of the crop failed. However, when Punta Greca gives a good crop, the results are truly exceptional and valuable.
Montiron is a vineyard near Šišan, where Malvasia dominates. Only a few hectares of Montiron of the best vines are used for the prestigious Medea Malvasia filled in around 12 thousand bottles. Marko Krstačić, an engineer turned competent enologist, explained to us how Montiron is an attempt to gain a Malvasia styled differently than most today. “We want Montiron to resemble old, but technically correct Malvasias. These are wines with more body, not playing only from freshness and primary aromas. Montiron is a different, fuller, complex Malvasia which, naturally, keeps the freshness,” said Krstačić. Besides the first grade grapes, Montiron’s complexity comes from the production method.
Around eight percent of Montiron ferments in barrique, with a short time on yeasts. Moderate use of wood and sur lie make the wine richer and creamier, but don’t burden it. It is nearly perfectly balanced.
In Medea’s Vodnjan cellar we tasted a wine that will be part of the Montiron mix for 2016. Already in its ultra early phase, it is evident the material is superior and full of ripe fruit, in which the growing body blends well with acids. The 2016 Montiron will be ready in a year. The 2015 Montiron with a matt toned label is just entering full form. We tasted it with several different meals, not too typical for Malvasia.
For example, it went great with very aggressive young oil and homemade rye bread. Then with Baranja Kulen, while ripe Pag sheep cheese accentuated its fresh and floral components. Finally, it went down well with salmon caviar and smoked salmon, which we didn’t expect. A boletus risotto was a given, as well as pumpkin soup enriched with pumpkin oil.
Medea’s Montiron Malvasia is of higher rank, different profile, accentuated complexity and longer life. Although Marko Krstačić feels Montiron should be consumed within three years from harvest, we feel this wine can develop much longer. Malvasia, in general, can possesses a significantly higher potential for successful aging, than usually considered, testified by the Matošević Antika, which takes ten years to turn into a great wine. While Montiron in style presents a third option for Malvasia – between young wines that dominate the market and long macerated which are rare and expensive – Punta Greca is a classic great red wine. Punta Greca is a true Istrian Grand Cru, like the Kozlović Santa Lucia.
Punta Greca, available on the market in micro supply of some 4 to 5 thousand bottles (production is planned to rise to seven thousand), spends 18 to 24 months in small oak barrels which tame its intense temperament and high alcohols (14.5 to 15 percent can’t be felt in the finished wine). Punta Greca is truly a valuable and rare combination of the splendour of ripe Merlot, full of dark fruits and chocolate, with an unusual minerality from the terroir.
The recognisable influence of the sea on vineyards was evident during a long and demanding tasting in Riedel’s glass factory. The tasting was led by Georg Riedel himself, who between twenty Malvasia’s singled out the Coronica, asking Moreno Coronica: “Your vineyards are near the sea?” Coronica confirmed, with Riedel commenting: “The minerality and saltiness very clearly define where your grapes come from.” Same goes for the Punta Greca Merlot, with saltiness and minerality in a mighty body of a sanguine red wine. Montiron Malvasia and Punta Greca Merlot a valuable contributions to a style spectrum of classic Istrian wines, positioning Medea among leading domestic producers of our most propulsive wine region.
