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Before he gave his life over to his vines, Ales Kristancic was a champion ballroom dancer, and his Cabernet Sauvignon embodies the grace, muscularity and winsomeness of that sport. Berries, cherries, sultana raisins and spice rest atop a bed of spice and earth, but for all that fruity density, this wine is still light on its toes, sprightly with acidity, and possessing an elegant backbone.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia
- Subregion/Classification:Collio Goriziano/Brda
Movia has been producing wine for more than three centuries; purchased by the Kristancic family in 1820, it is currently under the direction of Ales, a French- and Italian-trained winemaker. Ales pursues a historically minded but radical approach to winemaking that includes aging of the whites in 600-liter Slavonian oak casks or traditional Slavonian barriques, leaving them on the lees without stirring for more than two years. His approach to the reds is no less novel, with each being treated in accordance with its particular makeup. As with the whites, maturation is performed exclusively in small Slavonian oak casks. Racking is never performed, and the fining and filtering procedures are governed by the atmospheric pressure incurred by the arrival of the newmoon. This constitutes a wholly natural approach that presents the wines in a state of brilliant clarity.
Students and winemakers around the globe study his techniques, and many visit him to observe and learn firsthand. His vinification and viticultural philosophy cannot be construed as either traditional or even purely natural: rather, it is areflection of a collective wisdom acquired and refined over two centuries of winemaking at the Movia estate. Terms that have been rendered virtually meaningless in the wine world due to gratuitous usage—green harvest, 100% new French barrique, and low yields—are not part of Movia’s viticultural frame of reference. Production is informed by fine-tuned biodynamic principles that reflect a thorough understanding of vine and root management.
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