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.

Fojana Chardonnay is sourced from 34-year-old vines on a parcel called Srednji Kos, a west-facing slope at 130 meters on calcareous sandstone and marl. Fermented in French oak barriques (30% new) with native yeasts after a brief 2–3 hour maceration, the wine ages 11 months in barrel and 6 in bottle.

The warm, dry 2022 vintage resulted in a wine that’s both rich and precise. Golden pear, toasted hazelnut, a hint of beeswax, plus the signature opoka minerality throughout a long finish. Only 1,100 bottles (and 100 magnums) released.