Palava is a unique native Czech grape variety which was
cultivated in 1953 at breeding station in Moravia by prof. J. Veverka – it is a
cross of Gewürztraminer and Müller Thurghau. The cultivar was named after the limestone
massif called Palava Hills in Mikulov subregion. This area is related to the absolute beginnings of
viticulture in the Czech Republic which is dated back to the 3rd century. It is
a rare grape variety, the overall area of vineyards is about 400 ha in the
Czech Republic, it is planted only here and sporadically in neighboring
Slovakia. The variety is quite demanding on fertile soil, on dry soils the
yields are poor and irregular. At the appropriate slopes, the yields are high and
regular with high must-weight levels, therefore the wines mostly reach higher
Prädikats classes. The color of the grape is grey-red, therefore also the wine
has usually rich, gold-yellow or even amber color. It is highly aromatical
variety with character similar to Gewürztraminer, but compared to it, the
spiciness is lower and more harmonic.
Today we are going to compare two samples of Palava from
winery Skoupil – vintage 2014 and vintage 2015. The wines
come from Velke Pavlovice subregion from neighboring vineyards in wine village
Velke Bilovice.
Palava 2014
semi-sweet
Auslese
11,5% alc.
residual sugar: 35,2 g/l
acids: 7,5 g/l
Moravia region, Velke Pavlovice subregion, wine village Velke Bilovice, vineyard Nova hora
Palava 2014 has a beautiful rich amber-gold color, intense sweet aroma of acacia honey, elderflower and linden blossom with vanilla tones. The wine is full-bodied, rich and extracted, with spicy but smooth taste of vanilla, honey and ripe fruits - apricot, tangerine, gooseberry and pineapple.
The palate feels slightly oily and it is very complex, revealing different layers - reminding of a toast with butter and honey, sweetend jasmine green tea, also spices of Gewürztraminer are noticeable but in more elegant and smooth way, finishing in a long aftertaste. The residual sugar is very well balanced with the acids and spiciness, giving the wine extra body. Based on the taste and color, most of the people think this wine was matured in oak. But no way - this is just pure fruit and you won't believe it is possible.
Palava 2015
semi-dry
Beerenauslese
15,0% alc.
residual sugar: 9,7 g/l
acids: 6,5 g/l
Moravia region, Velke Pavlovice subregion, wine village Velke Bilovice, vineyard Predni hora
Palava 2015 is even higher Prädikat – Beerenauslese because
the vintage 2015 was one of the best in recent years. Unlike usual
Beerenauslese which is made into sweet wines, the winemaker has decided to
experiment into non-traditional style with a high alcohol content of 15%. Gold-yellow
color, the aroma is fresh with distinctive tones of linden blossom,
elderflower, Gewürztraminer and muscat notes.
The palate is full but youthfully
refreshing, with dominant gooseberry and dried apricots taste, with lively
acidity and tones of citruses. The vanilla and honey tones are more in the
background which is also caused by the youth of the wine, but in general it is
more zesty, spicy and floral, therefore reminding more of Gewürztraminer than
the 2014 vintage. Definitely it will develop further in harmonic, complex
full-bodied wine, in which you can discover plenty of layers.
At this point, it is necessary to say we are not looking for
a winner in this battle :) Both of the wines are excellent demonstration of
this unique local grape variety but processed in a different style. As most of
the people outside Czech Republic say, Palava has very special aroma and taste
which they have never tasted before.
Palava 2014 has been very popular with our customers so now last
bottles are available, therefore it is being replaced by vintage 2015. Palava 2015 comes in a new design – a white label with carved patterns inspired by pottery
from prehistoric times which was found at archeological sites in Velke
Bilovice. The pure white design is attracting mainly women customers.
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