Radikon Ribolla 2007

Ratings

February 14, 2023

This Ribolla is so quaffable. Even more than Gravner '10. Aye, it's nice to share this bottle with other people and see how much they enjoy it. But some part of my heart tells me that it was a mistake. Edi Kante was right about bottle size. I want to double the volume and drink it by myself.

To read some real tasting notes, refer to my previous review of this wine I did just a week ago.

February 7, 2023

Unlike the previous wine (Gravner Ribolla 2004), this one is something I would like to drink daily. Don't get me wrong, Radikon Ribolla 2007 is a complex wine that requires attention, but in a way, it's more open and approachable.

Generous bouquet of spoiled apricots, mould, VA, dried field flowers and roasted coffee beans. Fresh and juicy (despite the age), with good fruit quality and mature tannin. Perfectly balanced. I just want to keep drinking it. Alas, only 0.5 litres, which is not enough even for one person.

Compared to Gravner, it's less clean and less incredible on the palate, but it compensates well with generosity and openness. In a way, it illustrates the personality of both winemakers.

January 11, 2022

Beautiful Ribolla Gialla at the right age. Opulent but delicate and slightly reductive bouquet full of apricot and quince jam, forest floor, dried apricots and nuts. Almost full-bodied, fresh with medium-high and round tannin. Almost perfectly balanced, flavourful, complex and sexy.

About Producer

Stanko Radikon is a legendary farmer and winemaker from a legendary region. He and his friends (Gravner) started period of renaissance for amber wines - white wines with extended skin maceration. But of course, in town of Oslavia it was called "Slovenian" or "Friuli" style - hand-harvesting, skin contact, large and older barrel fermentation without any temperature control, no added yeasts or enzymes, and little to no use of sulfur.

The vineyards were originally planted in the beginning of XX century by Stanko’s grandfather Franz Mikulus with the local favorite, the Ribolla Gialla grape. And basically, Stanko went back to the ways his grandfather was producing wines back in 30s.

After Stanko passing away in 2016, his son Saša took the winery in his hands. Though people say that nothing has really changed in the philosophy of Radikon winery as Saša has been helping out since he was a kid and a partner since 2006.

Farming

In the vineyard, the vines are planted extremely tight (between 6. 500 to 10,000 plants per hectare). We do not use any chemicals or synthetics and the treatments using absolutely innocuous, non-harmful products are minimized. Through careful pruning and selection at the time of harvest, the hand harvested yields are kept well below 2.25 tons per acre.

Stanko

The family was able to acquire more land and now works 17 hectares of vines with the following breakdown:

• Pinot Grigio: 3 hectares of 30 years old vines
• Chardonnay: 2.5 hectares of 30 years old vines.
• Sauvignon Blanc: 2 hectares of 30 years old vines.
• Ribolla Gialla: 2 hectares of 30 years old vines.
• Tocai Friulano: 1.5 hectares of 30 years old vines.
• Merlot: 1.5 hectares of 25 year old vines.
• Pignolo: about half an hectare of 25 year old vines.

The vine ages are an average, with many much older.

Wine making

In the cellar, the grapes are de-stemmed and then macerated on the skins for 30 days more, with experimentation of 6/7 months for the whites, and 35 days for the reds. The pressing is done softly using a pneumatic press. All phases of the vinifications are in Slavonian oak barrels, first in wood vats and then in large barrels in which the wines are aged for about three years before bottling. The vinifications are done using only the natural yeasts present on the grapes. There is no sulfur added at vinification or bottling.

Stanko

Саша Радікон відділяє ягоди від гребнів перед тим, як помістити їх у великий відкритий ферментер конічної форми зі славонського дуба. Бродіння розпочинається природним шляхом, і Радікон перемішує шапку (суцільну масу зі шкірок, яка піднімається на поверхню) приблизно чотири рази на день. Протягом цього періоду ферментер залишається відкритим, вивільняючи діоксид вуглецю, який утворюється в процесі бродіння. Завдяки вуглекислому газу немає такої проблеми, як окислення.

Щойно зброджування добігає кінця, ферментер запечатують і герметизують. Його також заповнюють по вінця, щоб у чані не залишилося місця для кисню.

Вино лишається зі своїми шкірками ще на три місцяі, перш ніж його врешті-решт переливають у великі дубові ботті. Там воно зберігається орієнтовно чотири роки до розливу. Радікно не додає сірки до вина на жодній зі стадій, а також не вдається до фільтрації та полірування.

Відтак вино витрмують у пляшках ще принаймі два роки перед випуском на ринок.

Amber Revolution

Unique bottle size

Stanko Radikon and Edi Kante were not happy about bottles of regular 0.75l volume. It's not enough for two people and too much for one person. That's why they designed bottles and corks of alternative size - 0.5l and 1.0l with corks that imitate wine to oxygen proportion of magnum bottles. First release that saw new bottles is 2002. Edi Kante likes to joke that 1.0l bottle is ideal for two people when only one is drinking.

У 2002 році Станко Радікон та Еді Канте розробили пляшки й корки альтернативного розміру, адже були невдоволені тим, що традиційна посудина об`ємом 0.75 л завелика для однієї людини і водночас замала для двох осіб, котрі хочуть випити вина під час вечері. Вина Радікона преміум-класу зараз розливають у пляшки ємністю 500 мл та 1 л зі спеціальними корками, які наслідують пропорції скла/корків і співвідношення традиційних пляшок магнум. Еді Канте любить жартувати, що одна літрова пляшка "ідеально підходить для двох людей, якщо п`є лише один із них!"

Amber Revolution

Wine ranges

There are basically 3 ranges of wines made by Radikon:

• Blue label. Original wines produced by Stanko. The only wine that has changed a little is Oslavje blend, which doesn't include Pinot Grigio anymore and consists of 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
• S range or Saša wines. Launched in early 2010's by Saša to branch out a bit on his own and to produce entry level wines. They see a noticeably shorter maceration, 8 to 14 days versus 3 months. They are also ferment and age in smaller vessels and age for only 18 months before bottling. And yes, they are bottled in traditional 750ml bottles.
• Selections. Wines that don't fall into previous ranges - 2 reds and one white.