Maribor Blanc Mise Tardive 2020 3000ml Doppel-Magnum

The Maribor Blanc Mise Tardive 2020 is a dry white wine from Štajerska Slovenija, crafted from 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Riesling. It opens with tart, delicately vegetal, and herb-spiced nuances, displaying white currant, crisp apple, and gooseberry alongside restrained yellow fruit. At 12.5% ABV, it masterfully balances lightness and substance.

The four- to 45-year-old vines grow around Maribor on Opok, the local marl- and limestone-rich soils, at elevations between 380 and 490 meters on steep slopes with gradients of up to 60%. Michael Gross withdrew from his family's winery in Austrian Southern Styria in 2018 and has since been working alongside Maria Gross on the Slovenian side. The limestone proportion in the Opok gives the wines their precise structure without ever making them heavy.

Harvest took place on September 23 and October 10, 2020. Following spontaneous fermentation, the wine matured for twelve months in large used wooden casks and subsequently in stainless steel. As a Mise Tardive, it was bottled late on June 18—unfined, unfiltered, and with a mere 30 mg/l of total sulfur.

Juicy, saline, and polished, showing bright fruit, citrus freshness, herbal spice, and chalky minerality, complemented by yeasty and subtly buttery notes. The acidity is delicate and precisely integrated into the silky texture, delivering tension without ever dominating. With aeration, the wine gains additional depth, leading into a long-lasting finish driven by floral nuances, tart herbs, and a whisper of dark berries.

The 3000 ml double magnum slows down the aging process. Combined with the late bottling and minimal sulfur additions, this is a wine that, even after years in the cellar, is only just beginning to show its true potential.