Orange Sauvignon Blanc, Bikicki

S/O is a shoutout to all of the components that make up a great wine – the equally important roles of the character of the varietal, the terroir and the harvest. This wine delivers a deep, golden-yellow colour and an equally deep, ripe fragrance of lemon zest, orange liqueur, mandarin peel, and pear puree, with notes of jasmine and crystallized ginger. With an elegant yet serious and structure, the palate delivers a clear mineral character, which balanced acidity, and layered notes of tropical fruit, citrus peel, and green tea that sustains a long finish.

Hand harvested in two passes in both late August and early September, fermented separately with native yeasts in open top polyurethane fermenters, a portion sees a shorter 3-day skin maceration, while another see a bit longer of 8 days maceration. Transferred and aged for 1 year in 500L neutral Serbian oak. yeasts in concrete spherical tank; aged for 9 months in concrete egg. Bottled with no fining or filtration, and minimal sulfur addition used at bottling.

Bikicki’s 8 hecatres of vineyards are located in the sleepy village of Banoštor, an ancient wine region on the norther slopes of Mount Fruška Gora, looking towards the Danube River. The mountain, located at north-west part of Serbia, is a natural geological phenomenon [Fruška Gora is also called the "Mirror of the geological past"], as it is built from the rocks from almost all geological periods. This area used to be an island during the existence of the Pannonian Sea, so is rich with minerals. Much of Fruška Gora is a protected National Park, an area that directly borders the Bikicki vineyards. The soil in these vineyards is very diverse, mostly made from cambisol and vertisol (types of clay) with a presence of volcanic rocks, limestone and marl. The soil is very rich in nutrients making it and very easy to cultivate naturally. They have a huge influence from Danube River, such as a second sun reflection, protection from freezing during the winter, and during summer having a perpetual cool breeze that is able to balance out some of the extreme high temperatures.

In winemaking styles, Djordje also had a long-established love for natural wines through his exposure of the natural wines of Oszkar Maurer. After a serendipitous placement next to Oszkar at a Serbian wine fair in 2013, they shared many ideas, and since then Maurer has been the consulting winemaker for Bikicki, helping Djordje to make minimal intervention wines exclusively fermented with native yeasts, and with only minimal amounts of sulfur additions prior to bottling. Macerations are short, orange wines 3-12 days, and in reds, 7-20 days. They focus on expression the pure Serbian fruit, that is delivered from the natural terroir of Fruška Gora. Djordje’s philosophy is of balance and elegance though for character, clarity and terroir – he emphasizes that they do not wish to make wines with heavy bret or VA, but balanced and clean natural wines.