Movia Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
This Slovenian Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a vineyard in Italy. Movia is based in Ceglo, a village in Goriška Brda pressed right against the border, and its vines run across both Slovenian Brda and the Italian Collio. The two are a single range of hills, split by a border drawn after World War II. Movia's Cabernet comes from the Vinia Martinovo vineyard near San Floriano, on the Collio side, where the soil is ponca, the layered marl and sandstone of these hills, mixed with clay. The climate is Mediterranean in character, with moderate summers and enough rain to keep the vines from stress, which suits a late ripener like Cabernet on this marly ground.
The Wine
Movia Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, cropped at a low 35 hectoliters per hectare. In the current release, the wine macerates on its skins for two weeks, then ages two years in barrique and a further six months in stainless steel before bottling. The long oak aging fills out the texture and folds coffee and chocolate into the fruit. Expect blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, and mulberry with violet, licorice, fern, and forest floor, then pepper and smoke on a full-bodied, fresh palate with youthful, drying tannin and a long finish. The 2023 season in Brda was the hardest in years: a cold spring, a rainy summer and autumn, and hail in July. The region's largest winery reported yields about a quarter below expectations, which put a premium on careful sorting.
The People
Movia traces its roots to the early 1700s, and the Kristančič family has tended it since 1820, when the estate came to them through a marriage. Under socialist Yugoslavia, Mirko Kristančič kept Movia in private hands, and from 1949 to 1971 it supplied wine for state banquets, including those of Josip Broz Tito. His son Aleš, who trained in Bordeaux, took over and made Movia the best-known name in Slovenian wine. The estate works with biodynamic principles and belongs to La Renaissance des Appellations and the Triple A association of artisan growers. Aleš says his father taught him that people did not invent wine, and in the cellar he favors what nature gives over what the winemaker adds.
Food Pairing
This is a red for serious meat and cold weather. Grill a thick bone-in porterhouse over high heat, slice it, and finish with olive oil, coarse salt, and rosemary; the drying tannin locks onto the char and fat. Venison medallions with a reduction of red wine, juniper, and a square of dark chocolate pick up the wine's blackcurrant and mocha. Beef cheeks braised slowly with onions and tomato over soft polenta bring out the licorice and forest floor. For a simpler plate, try aged Montasio or another hard alpine cheese with prosciutto. Open it on a snowy Saturday when dinner is the main event.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Cabernet Sauvignon, originally hailing from Bordeaux, France, has triumphantly spread to become a cornerstone of vineyards worldwide, achieving particular renown in Napa Valley. This versatile grape variety adapts to a broad spectrum of climates, producing full-bodied wines that are rich in black cherry and blackcurrant flavors, with layered complexities of oak and spice. The grape's success in regions like Napa Valley is a testament to its global adaptability, where it benefits from the optimal blend of warm days and cool nights, coupled with diverse soil types, to express a unique balance of power and elegance that pays homage to its Bordeaux origins.
