Black Lamb - Kabaj 'The Rider' NV

Claret a'la Brda. There are conventions that even The rough barrels from the 2011 and 2012 harvests from Kabaj's small holdings of old vine Merlot, Cab and Cab Franc. Proprietor Katja Kabaj was unaware the wine existed until her husband Jean Michel brought it up from the cellar.  "It is good but different” she exclaimed, “I don't recognize it, what is it?", "An experiment! Jean Michel replied, “It's been in barrel for 9 years!" Bottled August of 2020. Dense, perfumed, impossibly suave a Grand Cru unknown.  Highest elevation red grapes planted in Brda. Soils of Marl and Flysch. Barrel cuvee of 2011 and 2012 vintage, 9 years in french barrique Bottled 2020


From the winemaker:
Wine is not fashion avenue, it is part of the life of a winemaker and at the same time part of culture. However you work, you need to know your work and materials first. You need to know how the material is made, what it is from and how it will impact your product. Otherwise you cannot get any good out of it. It is like cooking: you can not cook a good dish without knowing the ingredients first and how to use them. We do not put wine inside the wood barrel to get it a wooden taste but to enrich wine with healthy tannins that extend the lifespan of wine. We must be aware that tannins in the wood increase for some time, after that at a certain point they start to fall. The key is determining when to remove the wine from the barrel. It depends on the winemaker's knowledge and feelings to decide when this is.

A multi-vintage (2011 & 2012) Bordeaux inspired red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Deeply rustic and earthy, with black olives, figs, black plums, and mulchy tannins. A fascinating curveball for the French wine lover!