While the winding road is taking us to the village of Sekurič, autumnal landscapes and locals from the nearby villages who stop their work curiously turning their head to see who's arriving by car remind me of scenes depicted on Janko Braštić's paintings, certainly the most famous artist from Rekovac. Needless to say that Janko is highly regarded as the first naïve painter in Serbia since he started painting scenes of everyday life in the countryside back in 1927, that is, long before the naive painting of Kovačica was affirmed. In his paintings, he wanted to depict events and customs from the rural life of Levač region, historical scenes, anecdotes, surrounding landscape.

Levač sub-region (in Three Moravas wine region) nowadays boasts 408 hectares of vineyards, which is 4 times fewer than, for example, Župa. However, grapes from Levač are well reputed for their quality so wineries from other parts of Serbia that need to buy additional quantities of quality grapes usually turn to this part of Serbia.

Lastar Winery is located in the village of Sekurič, which belongs to Rekovac municipality. The winery and 16 hectares of vineyards are nestled in a natural amphitheater, on a spot where once stood 40 hectares of vineyards that sourced grapes for Rubin (industrial winery from the period of Yugoslavia). Some old vineyards are still preserved and revitalized (Riesling and Pinot Noir vineyards planted in 1976). Lastar's Pinot Noir 2015 contains 2/3 grapes from that old Rubin's vineyard. However, the largest portion of vineyards are young plantings with prevailing selection of international grape varieties (Riesling, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc), including a new plot of 3 hectares planted with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The winery is planning to plant some indigenous varieties, however, the initial soil analysis of the microlocation indicates that Prokupac, Serbia's flagship variety might not an ideal choice for this spot. The vineyards are exposed to the influence of cool air currents from Mt. Juhor and moderate continental climate. Therefore, we may expect that Pinot Noir will show good results here. If we're searching for parallels, the climatic conditions could be compared with the warmer southern parts of Burgundy (Maconnais). As for the soil composition, the predominant soils are vertisol and cambisol with limestone aggregates, which is the most common type of soil in Levač. The importance of microlocation can best be understood if you stand on top of the amphitheater and feel air currents that flow incessantly through the rows of vineyards on the slopes. Uninvited guests who visit the vineyards from time to time are wild boars and roe deer. In addition to vineyards at the plot called Gaj, Lastar winery also rented a vineyard owned by Preradovac monastery, about 6 hectares in size.

We have picked the right moment to visit Lastar's vineyards and witness the explosion of warm autumnal colours in the vineyards. The view over the amphitheater onto neighbouring hills is simply breath-taking.

 

The first thought that came to my mind when I spotted state-of-the-art equipment in the winery was that certainly a half of France's oenologists and winemakers could only dream about having such equipment. The production cycle in the winery  is organized on three levels based on gravity flow principle. Grape cooling units, modern Boucher presses, Ganimede vinifiers that function according to the principle of communicating vessels, a cellar stocked up with 500 liters' barrels (Hungarian oak) and barriques (French oak), a tasting room and future wine archive... During the winery tour, we also visited the room hosting a limited series of 2,500 bottles of sparkling wine (Chardonnay, vintage 2016, traditional method).

The tour ended in the winery's tasting room.

Lastar Riesling 2015 - About 3 tons of Riesling grapes from the neighbouring vineyard were purchased additionally in 2015. Unfortunately, this wine has only a few hundred bottles remaining and they will most likely remain stored in the archive in order to assess how the wine evolves over time. On the nose, there are already hints of petroleum notes, a noble, elegant impression. In the mouth, vibrant notes of citrus, basil, peach, yellow apple.

Lastar Tamjanika 2016 - Although its character is shaped by Muscat notes, this Tamjanika will charm you with its freshness. On the nose, it's vivid, expressive, floral with hints of red orange, peach, lemon balm... But the impression in the mouth is different from those associated with Župa's Tamjanika. It's fresher, I suppose it could be the result of a slightly cooler microclimate. In the finish, persistent mineral trail. It will be interesting to follow this wine in the coming years in order to understand better features of local climate and their impact on wines.

Lastar Chardonnay 2015 - Wine that definitely created buzz on the Serbian market in 2017. Given that Chardonnay is found virtually everywhere in Serbia, I always wonder how some new wineries are planning to penetrate the market with their Chardonnay beside all these Chardonnays either from stainless steel tanks or oak that are already available on the market. However, Lastar winery showed that this is still possible. Varietal Chardonnay, dominant fruit-forward profile, not overtly intense. Tropical fruit, mango, melon, peach, yellow pear, buttery notes with hints of wood, just as much as it's required. Medium body, balanced acidity. Rich, creamy mouthfeel, quite appealing. And obviously the market has recognized it.

Lastar Chardonnay Triangl 2015 - The longer the wine stays in the glass, the more evolved it gets so initial impression of overpowering wood gets more balanced owing to complementing fruity aromas of mango, passion fruit, peach, pear which slowly come to the fore. Further aging will polish this wine additionally and soften the edges. The nose is very complex, ripe pear, melon, mango, yellow apple, accompanied with notes that originate from oak aging. In the mouth, prevailing flavours of pineapple, banana, mango, wood with a tasty, creamy mouthfeel. Soft, nice finish.

Lastar Rosé 2016 - (varietal composition: Pinot Noir, Merlot) Modern onion skin-coloured rosé. Delicate mix of fruity and floral aromas will captivate you with its freshness. Aromas of cherries, strawberries, red currants, red oranges prevail on the nose. In the mouth, refreshing flavours of red grapefruit, cherries, currants. Medium body. Long finish. Lastar Pinot Noir 2015 - A typical transparent red color of Pinot Noir in the glass, which is very often lacking when we talk about Serbian Pinot Noir wines. Young wine, varietal, potent. Fruit-forward nose: aromas of raspberry, strawberries, cherries complemented with discreet tones of vanilla, dark chocolate.

Undoubtedly, Lastar Winery has the capacity and resources to become a serious player in the wine market of Serbia. So, in the future, I see them as a winery that will be able to offer on the market limited series of wines made from Pinot Noir aged 5-8 years before release in order to reach educated wine consumers (Aleksandrović Winery currently faces no competition in this segment). Taking into account that Lastar Winery has vineyards on a good location and state-of-the-art equipment in the winery, now they need only the time required for their vineyards to reach maturity and to give their wines enough time in the bottle to fully show their potential.

 

(19.01.2018)

BACK TO CATEGORY