2016 Burja Zelen

Region: ZPG Vipavska Dolina < Slovenia
Grapes: Zelen
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: certified organic farming; Flysch (marl, loess and breccia in alternation) soil; minimal SO2 at bottling, 375 cases
Winemaker: Primoz Lavrenčič

NEW VINTAGE ALERT: you enjoyed the 2015 vintage last spring, and now we’ve got the 2016! The third generation to cultivate grapes in his region, Primoz left the family estate in 2009 to start his own label, ‘Burja’, the name of the strong wind that blows through the Vipava Valley. ‘Zelen’, a beloved local grape, is Slovene for “green” – because the grapes have an intensely-colored pulp, and, if left unfiltered, the wine will emerge a vivid emerald green color. This wine is gorgeous and aromatic, with a perfumed nose of white flowers, green apple, then jolts of grapefruit, zippy lemon, apple and floral notes on the palate. We love the intensely mineral, racy, saline edge. Sadly, with the harsh climate and the unpredictable nature of the Burja wind, Primoz doesn’t make this wine every year.