Goriška Brda is an eye-wateringly vast compendium of asparagus green rolling hills and medieval stone buildings, with an opulent vinous history preceding the Romans. Steered by Neb from Orbit Wines our band of seven UK wine buyers travelled an hour west from Venice Airport, through the flat expanse of Veneto to a restaurant in Brda. We are swiftly greeted by Marjan Simčič, a fifth-generation winemaker in possession of some of the region’s most prized sites, and the generous host of our party for an overnight balmy July visit. We begin our trip in fine form, with a languorous wine drenched lunch overlooking the hills of this Slovenian paradise. Across the border is the highly revered Collio region, home to the tangerine-tinged trinity of Gravner, Radikon, and Prinčič. It’s a border perceived as purely political, with winemakers from both sides playing fast and loose with it during its heavily fortified Yugoslavian days. Marjan owns several Italian vineyards, legally classified as Slovenian wine, the country they are vinified in. Vice versa, Gravner’s Dedno vineyard is in Slovenia but is demarcated as a Friulian wine.
Marjan has three echelons to his range all made from single varieties. ‘Classic’ is sourced from younger vines and lower altitude sites, each one charmingly expressive with a savoury sapidity, with the Ribolla, Sauvignon Vert (aka Friulano over the border) and Pinot Grigio all standing out for their tension, drive, and outstanding value. We dive straight into them over lunch, with the Pinot Grigio in particular having an incredible tautness to it. Despite the very subtle pink hue, it is a mile away from your old school mate’s insipid pinot blush; There’s a delightful melon and yellow apple character, a touch of dried apricot and cinnamon spice, balanced by a zing of grapefruit and herbal levity. It is tense and rigid but soon unravels and blossoms in the sweltering summer heat, with the rich texture balanced by a crunchy component, redolent of the skin of an iridescent red apple. ‘Cru Selection’ is the next level up, from older vineyards with a greater aspect and rockier soils. The purity and definition intensifies across all varieties. Again, the Pinot Grigio shines as an outstanding ramato-plus explosion of flavour and tight-rope tension. ‘Opoka’ is the most savoury and profound of the three, hailing from older vineyards on the region’s eponymous red soil; a compact blend of sandstone, limestone and mudstone derived from the detritus created by the Alps convergence. At this tier all the wines are a delight, but the Ribolla, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot possess impeccable balance, with layers upon layers of complexity.
After lunch the hot dense air begins to dissipate as a trio of jeeps emerge to ferry us around Marjan’s vineyards. Equidistant between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea our first stop is Collio Brda, a sequence of alarmingly steep hills straddling the border. Rocking back and forth, our jeep skirmishes along the sandstone tracks, as the Opoka soil protrudes from the hillsides in slate like sanguine shards. The weather drastically deviates between vineyards, as the warm Mediterranean air and cold Alpine winds collide, producing dramatic skylines. Fashioning theatrical shadows, the golden hour glow straddles across the hillsides, illuminating the wide variety of grapes thriving here. Marjan’s vineyards were mostly planted by his grandfather, matching different grape varieties to the diverse terroir. Over a single square mile there is a gamut of microclimates and soil compositions, allowing Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to flourish alongside Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Vert and Chardonnay.
We land at Marjan’s house as the sun slowly sinks below a postcard perfect horizon. A secluded 1980s villa beside an infinity pool overlooking a Kaleidoscope of jade green hills stretching out towards the Italian border. His modern winery and cellar are in the basement, highly conducive for entertaining guests. We kick things off with a glass of ‘Cru Selection’ Sauvignon Blanc on the terrace, taking in the view before circumventing the house, and descending to the winery. It’s a cosy size with several steel tanks in the first room, flanked by a room with five concrete eggs, and another with a glut of old barrels and foudres. The vineyards have been farmed biodynamically and organically for a generation, and while certification had previously not been deemed important, it is something Marjan is now considering due to demands from certain international markets.
According to our itinerary this is a fifteen-minute winery tour, a swift look around the cast iron cladded cellar, vessel rooms and a tasting of a wine or two from tank. Marjan’s polemic nature instantly takes hold and our pit-stop tour cascades into a tasting of over 15 tank samples, each one accompanied by a detailed explanation of his gentle intervention and extraction techniques, and the unique topography of the vineyards. Each wine is characterful and bright, with the 2021 vintage showing exceptionally well. After an hour or so of tasting we follow a narrow, mould inhabited staircase up to an ornate dining room, adorned with an enormous rectangular table overflowing with decadent and salivating snacks. The steps to the kitchen are riddled with empty ‘unicorn’ bottles and back vintages of his own wines. An enormous oil painting embellishes one end of the room, and on the opposing side a gargantuan leg of locally cured ham sits invitingly on a side table, later proving itself worthy of last meal status.
Marjan’s copious generosity is laid out in front of us as we gorge on a multicourse meal, flying through numerous sauvignon blanc back vintages, trying 2014 and 2015 side by side before diving into a show-stealing magnum of 1999. This is an electrifying example of how well sauvignon can age in great terroir, the herbaceous and steely nature slicing through an opulence of nougat, lemon curd and petrichor bottle age flavours. Marjan’s Opoka Sauvignon Blanc is one of a handful of wines in the world that showcase this grape variety in an umami and kokumi forward style, with the pyrazine punchiness present but lingering in the background, providing interest and complexity, rather than assaulting every inch of your senses and leaving you with a craving for anosmia. All for the fraction of a price of some of the Loire’s big names.
The extravagance meanders into the early hours, and weariness has set in by the time Marjan’s 2016 and 2017 Opoka Merlots make an appearance. Handily these impeccably balanced wines offer an invigorating burst of leafy minerality, fresh plum and savoury spice. Our post prandial reviver is a double magnum of Bruno Paillard Champagne, kickstarting the next stage of festivities that we all feel the effect of the next day. Around 3am a pair of workers turn up to spray the vineyards with a biodynamic treatment. Marjan bounds off into the winery with them, sharing a glass and putting the world to rights before they all adventure into the vineyards on their pre-dawn expedition. Marjan’s zest for life and great wine is infectious and the idiosyncratic and expressive character of these wines elucidate the passion that he injects at every stage of the process. These are pure, soulful wines with all the character and esoterisms that you would hope for from such a theatrical and unique landscape. While modern trends may veer towards native varieties, the Opoka Sauvignon and Merlot are special, unique, and speak of their place in the purest sense.
Comments