Dimitri Brečević was born in the Jurançon and studied oenology in France before returning to his father’s homeland in Istria. “Piquentum” was the Roman name for the hilltop town of Buzet in this area.
Dimitri farms 4.5 hectares organically. This wine is 100% malvazija istarska, better known to many of us as malvasia istriana. (There are dozens of different “malvasia” grapes - white, pink, and red - some of which are related and some not.) It’s spontaneously fermented, with 3-4 days of skin contact, and then aged in 70% barrel and 30% stainless steel. As befits a malvasia, the wine is deeply aromatic, with crushed rocks and white flowers on the nose. In the mouth, it’s got texture and tension, crisp pear fruit, and great length. Or, as a wine colleague whom we recently poured it for simply said, “this wine is dope!” It’s a characterful aperitivo and an adept partner to fish or pasta with cream sauce.
