Čotar Merlot 2009

Čotar is a natural wine estate in the Karst region of Slovenia, run by father-and-son team Branko and Vasja Čotar. The estate farms local varieties such as Vitovska, Teran, and Malvasia, working organically in the vineyard and using ancient winemaking methods in their stone cellar. Fermentations are spontaneous, macerations are long, and aging occurs in large neutral barrels or amphora, often with no added sulfur. The resulting wines are earthy and deeply expressive, with intense minerality from the region’s red soils and limestone bedrock. Čotar wines are known for their texture, structure, and uncompromising authenticity.