2003 Skerk Carso Malvazija

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 92 points

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  7/14/2022 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  An orange Malvazija Istarska - although I've understood this vintage has seen much less skin contact compared to the more recent vintages. 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Evolved and quite hazy straw-yellow color. Evolved, quite tertiary and slightly oxidative nose with aromas of hay and nuttiness, some sweet honeyed tones, a little bit of resinous phenolic character, light foresty notes of birch sap and spruce needles, a hint of bruised apple, a touch of almond paste and a woolly whiff of lanolin. The wine feels dry, evolved and rather tertiary on the palate with a medium body and complex, slightly oxidative flavors of chopped nuts and sorrel, some bruised apple tones, a little bit of almond paste, light green notes of spruce needles and minty lift, a phenolic hint of resinous character and a touch of tangy salinity. The mouthfeel is slightly oily and textural and the wine itself is quite high in acidity with no tannins to speak of. The finish is long, dry and slightly oxidative with flavors of sorrel, chopped nuts and bruised apple, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of resinous phenolic character, light nuances of spruce shoots, an evolved hint of browned butter and a touch of cheesy funk.
  
  A still quite nice orange wine, but one that is slowly getting past its peak. Compared to the bottle I tasted two years ago, this feels somewhat more tertiary, showing more oxidative nuances and less of that vibrant fruit. The overall feel is more or less the same, but feeling slightly more tired. All in all, it's quite safe to say the wine has run its course and is now on its slow descent to the inevitable - any remaining bottles should be drunk sooner or later. Nevertheless, this has still been a great bargain at 18€.

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  7/2/2020 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  An orange Malvazija Istarska - although I've understood this vintage has seen much less skin contact compared to the more recent vintages. 13% alcohol.
  
  Moderately developed and quite deep golden yellow color with a luminous bronze core. The nose feels quite powerful and moderately developed with nutty aromas of slivered almonds and roasted chestnuts, toffee apple, some smoky tones, a little bit of browned butter, light toasty notes, sweet hints of tangerine and dried apricots and a touch of grilled pineapple. Overall the nose feels very complex and attractive. The wine is moderately full-bodied, oily and slightly viscous, but also pretty firm and structured at the same time, thanks to the pretty intense acidity. Complex, savory flavors of developed nutty and toasty tones, some tangerine, a little bit of tangerine and dried peach, light candied notes of gummi bears, a hint of stony minerality and a tertiary, creamy touch of Brie or other ripened white-rind cheese. The structure relies solely on the high acidity, there doesn't seem to be any tannins. The dry finish is long, complex and quite intense with layered flavors of dried fruits, browned butter, some roasted nuts, a little bit of stony minerality, light saline notes and a creamy hint of ripened white-rind cheese.
  
  A wonderfully attractive, balanced and complex wine that is in a perfect shape at 17 years of age. A very much complete wine. Although the wine isn't fully tertiary yet, I have a hunch it is at its plateau of maturity right now. It won't develop much or at all from here, but most likely it will keep good for a good handful of years more. At 18€ this was a real bargain.

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