Guerila, Barbera Selection, Primorska, Slovenia, 2019

Producer Profile

Zmago Petrič's family's winery is located in Vipavska Dolina and from the very beginning, they have worked organically and biodynamically, devoting their energies to local grape varieties and respecting the natural environment around them.

Concentrating on the varieties of Zelen and Pinela which are only grown in this region and nowhere else on the planet, they have built a genuinely unique proposition. Everything is hand-picked, naturally fermented and then bottled unfiltered with just a minimal sulphur addition, creating wines that are delicate, mineral and full of freshness.

Viticulture

Barbera grows on the top of the vineyards of Preske at an altitude of 400- 450 meters above the sea level and facing south on terraced vineyards. 12 year old vines are on flisch- marine sediments.

Winemaking

Hand harvest of biodynamically produced grapes. Four week maceration of crushed grapes, spontaneous fermentation with natural yeast already present on the grapes and malolactic fermentation. One year maturation of the wine in 1000l old oak barrels. Bottling according to Maria Thun moon calendar with minimal addition of sulphur.

Oak Ageing

Time: 21 Months
Type: 2000 ltr Slovenian Oak
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: None

Tasting Note

Intense garnet red colour with violet hues. It displays varietal characteristics of Barbera. Very complex aroma and flavour of ripe blackberries, forest undergrowth, plums, liquorice, graphite. A rich, full body with an exceptionally long aftertaste and pleasing freshness.

Food Matching

Red meat, mature cheeses, venison.

Awards

Jancis Robinson 16.5 Points
Earthier, more occluded and more mushrooms-deep-in-foresty-loam than the Marrone Barbera d'Alba tasted alongside. But also with a touch of mint, medicinal clove oil and linseed. BandAid, even. Interestingly, although the alcohol is the lower of the two wines, this tastes much warmer. The fruit is dark, a little glowering, Christmas-cake spicy, bittersweet cherry juicy and wrapped in laces of sooty leather. Brimming with character and angst, but the acidity has chiselled clarity and there is marked purity on the finish. 16.5 Points, TC, August 2022.