The Simčič family had been farming the hills of Goriška Brda decades before Edi and his wife Marica bottled their first vintage in 1989. Today, their son Aleks and grandsons Jure and Jakob tend 13 hectares of steep, sun-drenched slopes across three villages, farming sustainably on the region’s signature opoka soils featuring layers of calcareous sandstone, marl, and clay that lend a distinctive salinity. Yields average just 700 grams per vine, around a half-bottle per plant.

A blend of 80% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon, and 10% cabernet franc, Duet Lex is selected from older-vine parcels on marl soils across Fojana, Vipolže, and Kozana. Grapes are hand-harvested in mid-October and undergo roughly 15 days of maceration in stainless steel with frequent punchdowns and open-air pump-overs. The wine then ages 36 to 42 months in predominantly new French oak barriques before 6 months in bottle and is released unfiltered. Notes of Japanese plum, blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco leaf, and fine-grained tannins throughout. Beautiful now, but a masterwork in 10-15 years.