Natural winemaker Primoz Lavrencic's Burja estate combines traditional winemaking in the Slovenian Vipava Valley with the modern understanding of natural winemaking. With his holistic and integrative viticulture, Primoz Lavrencic has made a name for himself in the wine world far beyond the borders of Slovenia. The roots of the Lavrencic family in the Vipava Valley go back to 1499. Primoz runs the winery together with his wife Mateja, the sister of the exceptional winemaker Benjamino Zidarich.
The variations
The focus is on old regional varieties of the Vipava Valley and the Adriatic that have adapted to the terroir over centuries. Zelen, Pokalca (Schioppettino), Refošk (Refosco), Rebula (Ribolla Gialla), Malvazija (Malvasia d`Istria), Laški rizling (Italian Riesling, Welschriesling), Modra frankinja (Blaufränkisch). Primoz Lavrencic also creates a great Pinot Noir that reflects his passion for the wines of Burgundy.
The vineyards
Burja estate cultivates a total of around 7 hectares of vineyards at five locations. The heart of viticulture is a 60-year-old Malvazija vineyard. The climate is reflected in the location between the Alps and the Adriatic, as well as the strong winds of the Vipava Valley. All vineyards are built on flysch, but have very different layers of bedrock in various densities of sandstone and marl. These give the grape varieties their own unique expression, depending on the vineyard.
The winemaking
The wines from the Burja winery in Slovenia are all biodynamically grown natural wines and orange wines and carry the Demeter certificate. Primoz Lavrencic attaches great importance to giving nature as much space as possible. For this purpose, the winery was designed on different levels so that there is no need for a mechanical pumping process at any point during the cellar processes right up to bottling. The wine passes through all stages of winemaking purely by gravity. Depending on the variety, the wines are partly aged in barriques, in steel tanks and in concrete eggs.
