{"product_id":"2018-kozlovic-santa-lucia-malvazija-istria-croatia","title":"2018 Kozlovic 'Santa Lucia', malvazija, Istria, Croatia","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Kozlović family has been farming wine in northwestern Istria since 1904, working the Vale valley beneath the medieval tower of Momjan through decades of political upheaval: Austro-Hungarian, Italian, Yugoslavian, and finally Croatian, all within living memory. Under Yugoslavia, the cooperative model reduced wine to a commodity, and the family's winemaking voice nearly disappeared with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Croatia gained independence in the early 1990s, Gianfranco Kozlović seized the moment and set about rebuilding not just the winery but the idea of what Istrian wine could be. His central argument, that malvazija istriana was a grape capable of aging for a decade or more, was at the time rather radical. He has spent the years since making his case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Santa Lucia vineyard is the clearest proof. Sitting at 240 meters above sea level near the hilltop town of Buje, the site is planted on terra bianca, the white and grey composite of flysch, limestone, and clay that defines Istrian viticulture, with a south-southwest orientation and the temperature swings between warm days and cool nights that preserve freshness in even the fullest wines. The oldest malvazija vines here date to 1961. It is from those vines that Santa Lucia is made: hand-harvested, cold-macerated for five to six days, then aged twelve months in large oak before further years in bottle before release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the glass, the 2018 has moved well past the acacia-and-citrus freshness of youth. This is ripe peach, blossom honey, gingerbread, and wet stone, atop a bed of dried elderflower. The texture is oily in the best sense, with acidity throughout and a touch of salinity on the finish. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA wine that settles the question of malvazija's depth. Around 1000 bottles produced.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yes Society","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51341169918248,"sku":"AT18KOZLOVICMALVAZIJA750","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/1794\/6152\/files\/2018Kozlovic_SantaLucia_malvazija_Istria_Croatia.jpg?v=1772748529","url":"https:\/\/yes-society.com\/products\/2018-kozlovic-santa-lucia-malvazija-istria-croatia","provider":"Yes Society","version":"1.0","type":"link"}