Bojan Kobal produces wine in the Haloze appellation in Štajerska Slovenia, considered one of the top wine-growing sites in Europe since Roman times. Here, old vines root deep into marl slopes and absorb minerality, a signature profile of these wines. Kobal itself is a tiny garage winery, a project of Bojan’s outside of his day job as winemaker at Pullus (another fantastic Slovenian winery). He has a passion for indigenous varietals that rarely make their way out of the country, much less to our shores.
100% Blaufränkisch, hand-picked and de-stemmed, then skin macerated for 3 weeks. Spontaneous fermentation. Matured in used barrique barrels for 6 months where it finished malolactic fermentation. Bottled un-fined and unfiltered.
This is a lovely Blaufränkisch, a variety mostly grown in Austria, though thought to possibly be from Slovenia, where this winery is based. Slovenians actually have their own word for the grape: Frankovna Crna. It presents as a purply, blackberry-cherry-chocolate trio with woodsy undertones. It’s definitely a year-round drinker as you can pair it with both casual pizzas, roasted chicken or heartier gamey meals. It is best decanted for 45 minutes.
