Kabaj Hydra 2022

Hydra is made by the ancestral method (aka pétillant-naturel), bottled before fermentation has finished so that the final stages of fermentation produce the bubbles naturally in bottle. The 2022 consists of Malvasia, Friulano and Rebula, three grapes deeply associated with the cross-border wine culture of Slovenia and Friuli. It is bottled unfiltered, with soft, lively bubbles and flavours of peach, grapefruit, and toasted rye, finishing very dry and fresh.

Jean-Michel (the winemaker) was initially skeptical of pét-nat, tasting many examples that drew disdain from him. He started experimenting with some juice from his San Lurinz Traditional Method sparkling, using the rationale that in Brda, young white wine is conventionally made by protecting must from oxidation with refrigeration and cellar technology. Morel wanted to make something genuinely fresh and immediately drinkable without adopting that technological approach. For him, pét-nat provided the solution because fermentation, lees and retained CO₂ protect the wine naturally.

That makes Hydra quite different conceptually from Kabaj's other wines. Kabaj is famous for long skin maceration, extended élevage and mature releases. Hydra is Jean-Michel's attempt to make a youthful wine according to the same principles: indigenous fermentation, skin contact, no filtration, no technological stabilisation and no added SO₂.