Radikon Merlot 2010 500 Ml
Radikon Merlot 2010 500 Ml – alternate view 2
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Radikon Merlot 2010 500 Ml

Radikon
$75.00

Grape: Merlot
Vintage: 2010
Type: Red

This late-released red wine is a pure varietal expression of merlot packaged in a traditional five-hundred milliliter bottle format. The organically worked fruit grows on mineral-dense ponca soils composed of layered marl and sandstone along the Slovenian border. Winemaker Saša Radikon implements a wild-yeast fermentation and a staggering two-month skin maceration in large oak vats with no temperature control. It ages for over five years in large neutral wooden casks followed by several additional years of bottle resting.

It pours an opaque garnet-brick color, releasing a savory nose of dark plum compote, dried black cherries, black tea, and cured tobacco. On the palate, the full-bodied framework balances a rich fruit concentration with a lively current of alpine acidity. Imposing, fine-grained tannins build a powerful structural architecture that coats the mouth with velvety precision. Notes of wild thyme and dark cocoa powder add depth across mid-palate.

Radikon is one of the foundational names of the modern skin-contact and natural-wine movement. Based in Oslavia, in Friuli near the Slovenian border, the Radikon family built its identity around long macerations for white grapes, minimal sulfur and a deeply traditional approach that had become radical by modern standards. Stanko Radikon helped bring these methods to international attention, and the estate continues under his family with Ribolla Gialla, Jakot, Pinot Grigio and other varieties. The wines are amber, structured and savory, less about novelty than about reviving a borderland culture of patience, texture and uncompromising farming.