Podfuck 2019 Nestarec

Our 0.5 hectare plot of land, Zadní Hora, was our first ever vineyard - my grandparents owned some land there, so we got it back during restitution in the 90s. It was planted in 1988, my birth year. Hence my weak spot for this plot. It used to be planted with Blaufrankisch, but in 1987 our village was hit by a severe frost that killed most of the vines. I have no idea why the socialist cooperative decided to plant this Pinot Gris plot instead of BF - did they need it in their wine range? Or just picked at random? Was it the only thing available? Either way, a great choice for the vineyard.

Fast forward to my 2013 frustration with the soulless conventional direct press Pinot Grigio flooding all around us. For me, this grape's greatest asset is its skin - full of color, aromatics and rich phenolic potential. Let's squeeze it into wine! And so our first 100% skin contact was born. Thanks to local clones, its color was really dark; after a blind tasting, my winemaking neighbor congratulated me on making such a beautiful Blaufrankisch or Saint Laurent. I told him it was PG, but he didn't believe me and told me it was a scam (Czech for "cheating" or "hoax"). So I modified this heaven-sent name to Podfuck.

This wine is 100% on the skins; about 3 months initially, but we've shortened it each year - the 2017 wine only macerated for about a week as our flavors have shifted towards elegance and balance. We recently added a little Pinot Noir from the same site (pure splash, southwest orientation) - I love the nobility this little - ahem, cheat - brings to the wine.