June 2009
My long-lasting vision is to establish the ultimate Bulgarian wines in one of the finest wine regions in the world, capable of producing Grand Cru quality wines.
I strongly believe in organic and biodynamic farming, and we are the first producer in Bulgaria to apply those methods from the very first day we planted our vines. Our project is a challenge and a dream at the same time. The challenge is to be able to produce wines of the highest quality in a specific area of Bulgaria: South Sakar, which, we believe, has great potential and a unique terroir. Our dream is to see a Bulgarian wine on a par with wines from the best sites in the world.
Our first harvest in 2008 produced a small portfolio of wines. We produced 150 cases of Rosé and 150 cases of Syrah.
The recent trend of hot summers continued in 2008. In July and August we had sixty-three days of extremely hot weather with no rain. We reduced the yield per vine and picked earlier in order to ensure freshness and concentration of the fruit at the same time. The wines display classic elegance combined with the strength and exuberance typical of southern climates.
Many artisan wines can touch our soul in a profoundly similar way to the art of great composers, musical masterpieces, and musical heroes. All our wines will bear a musical subtitle, changing every vintage. Nature doesn't repeat itself, and we feel this is our way to celebrate the beauty of music and nature. The name of each wine is inspired by the spiritual and emotional power of a musical work.
ROSÉ En Blanc et Noir 2008 is a blend of Marselan (72%) and Merlot (28%). We picked on the 20th of September. Destemming, soft pressing of the whole berries, minimal contact with the skins and vinification of the free-run juice were the simple techniques we applied. We did not separate the two varietals but blended them from the very first moment. We used red wine cultivated yeasts. The wine was aged for 6 months in new French and Bulgarian oak 225 l. barrels and had minimal fining and filtration. No acidification, no added enzymes and minimal presence of sulphate are part of our philosophy. We like to think that this wine defies the category of rosé wines not only for our unorthodox approach, but also for the hedonistic and intellectual pleasure that also a rosé has the right to give.
The name En Blanc et Noir (In White and Black) is the title of a composition by Claude Debussy for two pianos composed in 1915. Being with my wife Fiamma classical concert pianists, we were rehearsing recently this beautiful piece and we found it particularly suitable to the wine we were making. I like also the unusual idea of a white (blanc) and red (noir) wine disguised as a rosé. 1893 bottles produced. Release Date: 1 June 2009
Ivo Varbanov, 65 Bollo Lane, London W4 5LU, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 7956 377 705, Email: ivarbanov@dsl.pipex.com
Web: www.ivovarbanov.com