Cabernet Franc

Dark-fruited and herbal in all the right ways, it shows fine tannins and a savory, leafy edge that keeps it taut and honest. There’s nothing forced or stylized here — just pure, unguarded expression from vine to glass. MIRA Mirka Nestarcová, partner in life to Milan Nestarec, has carved out her own corner of Moravia, finding her own rhythm with a two-hectare project that was born from a desire to make the kind of wild, instinctive wines she felt missing from the more composed side of Milan’s production. She works with Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc, all grown with almost no interference. The vines are left to find their own shape, reaching for the sun without trimming or cutting — Mirka jokes that human hands hardly touch them at all. That freedom leads to smaller berries and a different balance of juice and skin, giving the wines a more defined, tactile structure — “a better one,” as she puts it. In the cellar, she follows the same impulse to tru