If you are looking for a change of scenery and new discoveries in wine, you are in for a treat! 

Clos Veličane is a very small property of one hectare located in the north-east of Slovenia, in the famous Jeruzalem Cru, near the small town of Ljutomer (the wines of this region were the most famous of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). Clos Veličane is the story of the encounter of a French wine enthusiast, Jérôme Pérez, co-founder of the lapassionduvin.com forum, with a terroir that is undoubtedly one of the most qualitative in his country; in the heart of breathtaking landscapes, this cru is singled out by its exposure and its altitude, among the highest in the area, which makes it a cru in its own right.

As with all of Jeruzalem's terroir, the soil has a high sand content: very present and almost pure at the top of the hill, it mixes with the clay as you go down the slope, but it is still an important constant of the cru. Another point in common with the best sectors of the area is the presence of marl in the subsoil, a guarantee of quality for vines that will always find moisture at depth: yellow marl and blue marl. The climate is typically continental, with winters that can be very cold and hot summers marked by storms at the end of the day. Autumns are often very fine and dry, with large daily temperature differences, favouring the freshness of the wines, while allowing for full ripening. What differentiates Clos Veličane from the other estates in the area is its high position and its completely uniform south-facing orientation. It is the warmest point of the whole area, but it is also the place where the highest acidities are measured: this is due to the high proportion of marl and the unique lightness of the soil. All this contributes to making this an exceptional terroir!

Today, the vineyard is planted equally with Riesling and Pinot Gris. The vineyard is entirely grassed and all the actions on the soil are manual: no weedkiller or pesticide is used, the estate is in conversion to organic farming. The vineyard is trained in guyot simple with 6 eyes. The harvest for the dry wines is fixed according to the maturity, generally around 95° Oe for the dry wines. The harvest is done early in the morning and the fruit is pressed immediately, without destemming or maceration. The juice is settled overnight and fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeast strains. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks on fine lees (without stirring and with two rackings) for approximately one year. Sulphiting is minimal. The wines do not undergo malolactic fermentation, although there is no attempt to block it: the natural coolness of the cellar is the main reason for this, especially as the dry wines are generally harvested at the very end of September. The wine is now bottled in Rhenish bottles, with screw caps to ensure maximum purity.

Finally, as far as the style of the wines is concerned, lovers of tension, straightness and sapidity are in for a treat! Whatever the level of ripeness of the grapes, and even with the presence of slight residual sugars (which is not always the case!), the wines maintain a dry balance, which is supported by a "ripe acidity", a strong structure and measured yields. For all these wines, if you wish to taste them now, we recommend decanting them and serving them at 8-10°.