Pullus Pinot Noir 2020
Winemaker Notes
Ptujska Klet winery cellars have been used for storing and aging wine since 1239. Located under the historic town of Ptuj founded by the Romans, the Ptuj Cellar is one of the oldest in Europe. Above it one can find a state-of-the-art modern winery focused on vinifying fresh, cool climate wines that Štajerska region is famous for. Varieties such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir thrive here and produce vibrant, elegant and fruit forward wines. A casual, light blend known as Haložan is a fun local wine often used for wine spritzers, traditionally made by mixing it with sparkling water.
A picturesque, eastern European wine growing nation, Slovenia can claim one of the most ancient winemaking cultures in all of Europe. Its history dates back to the Celts and Illyrians tribes, well before the Romans had any influence on France, Spain or Germany. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that Slovenia developed a more refined, private-sector wine industry.
Today it is a powerful source of some of the industry’s most important orange wines (whites made with extended skin contact); furthermore, fully three quarters of the country’s wine production is white.
Slovenian weather is continental with hot summers and cold, wet winters. It is divided into three wine regions: Podravje in Slovenia’s northeast; Primorska in its west, close to Italy; and Posavje in its southeast. These are further divided to nine wine districts.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”