Keltis Mario White Sparkling 2018

Keltis Mario is a brut nature sparkling wine from the Kelhar family estate in the village of Bizeljsko, in the Bizeljsko-Sremič sub-district of Posavje, southeastern Slovenia. The blend is Chardonnay and Rumeni Plavec, an indigenous white grape grown almost exclusively in this corner of Slovenia and prized for its high natural acidity. Vines are farmed organically on schist, clay, and sandstone soils at around 350 meters elevation with a southwest-facing orientation.

Grapes are hand-harvested in late August, directly pressed, and fermented spontaneously without added yeast. The wine matures on fine lees with regular battonage before a second fermentation in bottle that creates the bubbles naturally. It is unfiltered and released with no dosage, making it a true brut nature-style pet-nat.

In the glass it is pale lemon with tiny, active bubbles. The nose leads with peeled apple and yellow fruit alongside wildflowers and a light yeasty bread quality from extended lees contact. On the palate it is bone dry, crisp, and mineral, with a long finish that carries chalky texture and fresh citrus.

The 2018 vintage comes from a family farm that has held organic certification since 2009. The estate manages 5 hectares of vines within a 22-hectare property that includes 12 hectares of forest, the wood from which is used for the cellar barrels.