Vrh Single Vineyard Merlot
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted lamb, venison stew, aged hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
The Vrh Single Vineyard Merlot represents the pinnacle of Klet Brda's red winemaking, sourced from the steep, sun-drenched terraced slopes of the prestigious 'Vrh' (meaning 'peak' or 'summit') vineyard in the Goriška Brda region. Here, the vines must struggle through 'opoka'—a highly prized local soil composed of layered marl and sandstone. This unique terroir, combined with a microclimate caressed by warm Adriatic breezes and cooled by the Julian Alps, coaxes a rare depth, structure, and intense minerality from the Merlot grapes. Traditionally matured in French oak barriques, this wine beautifully marries old-world elegance with the wild, rustic charm of the Slovenian hills, offering complex aromas of dark plums, black cherries, sweet spices, and a distinct earthy minerality.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1957 in the western reaches of Slovenia's Primorska region, Klet Brda is a premier cooperative winery owned by approximately 400 local winegrowing families. The vineyards cascade across the steep, terraced hills of Goriška Brda beneath Dobrovo Castle, positioned between the snowcapped Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea. This sub-Mediterranean pocket is defined by flysch soils—locally known as opoka, composed of layered marl and sandstone—imparting signature minerality and tensile structure to the fruit. Viticulture follows strict sustainable guidelines, requiring meticulous hand-tending across hundreds of micro-parcels. Chief oenologist Darinko Ribolica and winemaker Luka Ribolica vinify in subterranean cellars, seamlessly combining stainless steel with neutral and large Slovenian oak. Klet Brda champions indigenous and benchmark regional white expressions, notably Rebula (Ribolla Gialla), Sivi Pinot (Pinot Grigio), and Sauvignonasse, showcased through the minerally vibrant Family Vineyards line, skin-macerated Krasno Orange, and the oak-matured Bagueri prestige range.
🍇 Grapes
Merlot
🍷 ABV
14% - 14.5%