Burja estate – Stranice, 2018

Time to look at a wine that looks to the ancestors, that merges tradition with contemporary winemaking techniques to create a remarkable wine. We’re at Burja estate, speaking of Stranice, a field blend produced by fermentation in concrete eggs.

Stranice is the name of a 1,6-hectare vineyard that was planted over 60 years ago. Varieties here grow mixed and are cultivated by biodynamic farming principles – as is custom for all of Primož Lavrenčič, Burja estate’s owner, vines. The varieties are Malvazija, Welschriesling and Rebula, typical varieties that grew in the valley for ages.

Grapes are hand-harvested simultaneously, bunches are destemmed, crushed and the mash macerates for up to 12 days with spontaneous fermentation. The wine is then racked into concrete eggs, where it matures for 18 months before being bottled without filtration.

This is the tradition, varieties grown traditionally in the valley in vineyards with mixed varieties and picked at the same time. Only after the Phylloxera tragedy, winemakers started systemizing their approach towards vineyard planning by uniting the varieties to a homogenous plot. With the unification of contemporary winemaking techniques, in this case, concrete eggs have the advantage of micro-oxidizing the wine without impacting in it the flavours of wood.

This results in an extractive, golden yellow colour with a dense texture.

The bouquet is intense, mainly herbal, sage, and yarrow come to the fore. Eventually, baked apple, fig, bergamot and pomelo hints appear, followed by scents reminiscent of honey, caramel, roasted almonds, dried tobacco and hot stone.

The taste is soft but at the same time fresh and considerably mineral, with a slightly astringent touch—a wine of intensity and virtue, full-bodied, long-lasting and expressively elegant.

A wine that will continue to evolve and express for the next seven years. A bottle will cost you approximately 35 Eur, and you can order it at eVino, BeWines, TuamV, La Pangee, Wein Natur, Sloveense wijnen, Wevino, and 13 vol.