Kupljen “Spirit of Svetinje” White Wine Blend, Slovenia.

Grapes

34% Chardonnay, 33% Renski Riesling, 33% Pinot Gris

Facts

• Ahhh yes! There’s nothing better than getting home from a hard day’s graft ( after staring at a computer for most of the day) than to kick off my shoes, and reaching for a bottle of Kupljen “Spirit of Svetinje” from the Jeruzalemsko-Svetinjske hills of north-eastern Slovenia…

• Ok, so that’s a lie. Firstly, I mainly work out of my house, so my shoes are pretty-much off all day. Secondly, this happens to be the first bottle of Slovenian wine which has ever entered the Chislett household; and indeed, the first which has ever graced my lips.

• The first thing that caught my eye, was that this bottle’s an ‘03. For a white wine, that’s usually not a good sign. Usually the stuff you find in the bargain bin at the local liquor store.
  So I jump onto the Kupljen website, half-expecting to be told the current vintage is in-fact 2012 (or something similar). Nope! The current vintage is in-fact 2003….I sure-as-hell hope that the nice people at the Kupljen winery know what they’re doing here…

• Luckily for me (and you), the nice people at the Kupljen winery have actually been making wine – in one form or another – since 1836….so they’ve had plenty of practice. Little-did-I-know, the wines from this particular region of Slovenia are famed for their aging potential.

• The Kupljen winery is a family winegrowing estate, with winemaker Jože Kupljen (no, I can’t pronounce it either) launching the Vino Kupljen wine brand in 1976.

• Renski Riesling: It’s kind-of like Riesling, but not….

• Oh, you want more information than that!?!?! Well, Renski Riesling tends to be more aromatic than the more common “straight-Riesling” grape, showing lots of acidity, as well as peach, apricot and mineral notes.

Place (click map for larger view)

– Slovenia map courtesy of Blue Danube Wine Company

• The 30 hectare Kupljen  winery estate includes 18 hectares of vineyards, located in north-eastern Slovenia, in the Jeruzalemsko-Svetinjske hills. Try saying that after 2 glasses of wine! 

• The wines from this region are known to be traditionally fruit-forward and fresh, but also with considerable potential for aging. Some whites have the potential to be aged over 20 years!

• Roman emperor Probus, loved the wine from this region so much he declared the province “Vinea nobilis districtis”, Noble Wine District.

• The Roman’s were the first to plant grapes in the area….but that’s a common story throughout most of Europe. 

• In 2010, Decanter Magazine awarded five medals to the wines from the Kupljen winery estate.

Taste

How…the bloody-hell….is this wine so light in color for an ‘03? I have seriously never seen anything like this before. I can’t tell a lie, my expectations were low on this wine right from the start.

How I tend to review wines is that first I photograph the bottle, then chill, taste and photograph the actual “in glass” shot. The problem with my method is that a great number of times the initial photos are wasted if I’m not a fan of the wine, and therefore I don’t do a review.

Luckily that’s not the case here.

Nowhere near as sweet as I was expecting; in-fact, hardly any residual sugar at all. Super-complex, yet delicate on the nose. Pear, wet stone, light apricot, solid lemon and lime at the core. Crisp and refreshing all the way with an extensive finish. Kind-of reminds me of an Austrian Gruner Veltliner. A little caramel/nutty quality on the finish, because of the age.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the most surprised I have EVER been when tasting a wine in quite some time! Do yourself a favor and grab a bottle.

Pairing

Pair it with all your favorite Slovenian foods! You don’t have any favorite Slovenia foods? Wow, do I really have to do all the work for you!?!?
Ok, how’s about: grilled white fish, pork, liver, pate, citrus salads, veal; or perfect for simply sipping by the pool, as your stare out onto the hills of Jeruzalemsko-Svetinjske…

Price

Sold as part of a three-pack ($59.95) from mypreferredwines.com Look-out for reviews on the other wines here shortly!

My friends at My Preferred Wines have actually been quite gracious and given me my very own 10% off coupon code for your purchase of this already discounted deal! Use coupon code: FLWine10 at the checkout for your discount.