Kobal Bajta ‘Belo’ 2022
The vibe: Not only is Slovenia an ancient winemaking region predating Roman influence by centuries (yeah, like extremely ancient winemaking) but these wines are also absolutely perfect for this time of the year. This month we’re featuring two dry “white” wines and a red. White in air quotes because as is typical to this neck of the woods, white wines from Slovenia often have skin contact, lending a richer, more textural profile. These wines are sometimes referred to amber wines and can drink closer to a red than a white, requiring just a slight chill at most. This wine is a perfect intro into this style, leaning closer to a sunlight yellow color than a true orange. That light color extends to the palate, which delicately suggests notes of baking spice and apricots. This is not a shouty orange wine with aromatics and tangy zest, this is a gentle kiss of nutmeg and jasmine, the perfect wine to ease into cooler days ahead.
The winemaker: Bojan Kobal produces wine in the Haloze appellation in Štajerska Slovenia, considered one of the top wine-growing sites in Europe since Roman times. Here, old vines root deep into marl slopes and absorb minerality, a signature profile of these wines. Kobal itself is a tiny garage winery, a project of Bojan’s outside of his day job as winemaker at Pullus (another fantastic Slovenian winery). He has a passion for indigenous varietals that rarely make their way out of the country, much less to our shores. Lucky us that his wines made it here!
The geeky details: Laški Riesling (Welschreisling), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc. Hand-picked grapes went through extended maceration and natural barrel fermentation. All varieties were fermented separately with no added yeasts and seeing 48 days of skin maceration. Matured on lees in used barrique barrels for 2 years. The final blend was made in a stainless steel tank and bottled without fining or filtering.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: With its delicate aromatics and light texture this skin contact is well suited to herby roast chicken or spicy Thai curry and light enough to not overpower appetizers.
Album pairing: Adekunle Gold - Tequila Ever After