Today’s lazy Sunday calls for some sensory indulgence, and Fedora‘s Chardonnay is a perfect choice to mollycoddle my dearest ones and me. Too bad, you guys can’t join, but hey … there’ll be chances. Hopefully soon!

From the high borders of Vipava valley, right on the brink with the Karsic plateau, Valter Kobal and Mojca Tiršek continue the more than a century-old tradition of winegrowing and winemaking of the Kobal family. They wear the name Fedora after the headdress which you’ll always spot on Valter’s head. The first Fedora wines appeared in 2016, immediately catching the spotlight and winning international prizes with their Pinela.

Their wines showcase the uniqueness of their microenvironment. As the vineyards are at higher elevations, the average temperatures are slightly lower than in Vipava valley. They face south-east exposure, which guarantees plenty of sun during the day, while bora from Vipava and Karst clashes between them. There are also huge thermal excursions between day and night which help with the fruit aromatic profile. Combined with the abundance of marlstone in the soil, assures wines with distinct mineral flavours.

They follow biodynamic principles in their farming and vineyards are fertilized with compost and microorganisms to balance to the environment. Instead of pesticides, they use lures, and weeds are removed by hand. They log more than 5,300 of working hours per year in the vineyard, the majority by hand. Vineyards are grassed in the vine growing season, and they dig small ponds to support the abundance of life in vineyards.

Valter and Mojca also nurture affection towards art. No wonder each of their wine labels is designed by artists, mostly by Hana Stupica, and depict scenes from specific stories connected to each of the wines.

This Chardonnay has been produced with handpicked grapes from a 10-years old vineyard named Golenbreg. It faces the east, where the soil is composed of marl and sandstone, at an altitude of 230 meters above sea level. The fermentation was spontaneous, without the addition of yeast. Half of the must was pressed after a short maceration, the other half after macerating for 4 days. It then matured in a set of French oak barrels of 1,000, 500 and 225 litres.

These factors form a Chardonnay that boasts a brilliant, bright golden-yellow colour with a dense texture.

Its bouquet is fine, fruity, graceful. We detect ripe apple, peach, tropical fruit, dried flowers, which are joined by butter, vanilla, nutmeg, caramel, croissant, straw underlined with a sandstone note.

The taste is intense; its vibrancy immediately recalls the one of Chablis! It feels soft but also youthfully fresh, minerally salty. The intensity on the palate displays a full-bodied, youthfully elegant wine, with lasting persistency.

An adolescent wine with a long potential to evolve. Still, with an adult character that showcases the winemakers’ experience and pleases our senses with each sip.