Hedele Vipavska Dolina Chardonnay Black Label 2022
We have 6 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Hedele makes no red wine at all, in a valley that grows plenty of it, because Andrea Pittana believes the Vipava flysch is made for whites. The proof is in the hills around Goče, a stone village at roughly 275 meters on the ridge dividing the Vipava and Branica valleys, below the hilltop church of St. Mary of the Snows. The Chardonnay grows on terraces of ponca: layered beds of marl, clay, silt, and sandstone laid down some 65 million years ago. These pale, crumbly soils and dry-farmed vines steer the grape away from tropical weight and toward citrus, salt, and stone. This is Chardonnay from Slovenia's Vipava Valley that leads with rock and lets the fruit follow.
The Wine
The Hedele Chardonnay Goče 2022 is 100% Chardonnay, hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed. According to the estate's UK importer, it ferments in oak tonneaux with indigenous yeast started from a pied de cuve, then goes through malolactic in wood. It rests 12 months in tonneau with no bâtonnage and no racking, then moves with its lees into stainless steel for another 12 months before bottling. Two summers on the lees build an oily, mouth-coating texture without the heavy cream that stirring brings. In other vintages the wine has shown grapefruit, lime, melon, white flowers, and a smoky, mineral edge, with noticeable oak and a long finish. The 2022 ran hot and dry across Slovenia, so expect riper citrus and more body, held in line by the ponca's mineral grip.
The People
Andrea Pittana spent years consulting for wineries in Friuli's Collio before founding Hedele with partners across the border. Chardonnay is the grape closest to his heart, and he describes his approach as Burgundian: attention fixed on the site and on what it can transmit to the wine. That thinking shapes the cellar. Rather than build a modern winery, Hedele works out of small cellars in village houses, vinifying each plot on its own and blending only before bottling. It also explains the estate's single-vineyard Obelunec Chardonnay, made since 2018 from its steepest, most ponca-rich slope. Pittana's ambition is to make wines of place rather than wines of grape, and the Goče bottling is the clearest everyday window into it.
Food Pairing
With its oily texture and moderate acidity, this Chardonnay wants food with some richness. Try pan-roasted chicken with brown butter, sage, and a squeeze of lemon; the wine's citrus lifts the butter while its texture matches the crisp skin. Seared scallops over sweet corn purée play its ripe fruit against the smoky edge. Pasta with porcini and Parmigiano leans into the savory side of the oak and lees. A wedge of aged Tolminc or Comté with a few slices of Karst prosciutto brings out its mineral side. It is the bottle to open when you want a white with Burgundian structure without paying Burgundy prices.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Chardonnay, one of the world's most versatile and beloved white grape varieties, showcases a remarkable spectrum of styles, from the lean, mineral-driven expressions of Chablis in France to the rich, buttery, and oak-aged versions from California's Napa Valley. Its adaptability extends to cooler climates such as Burgundy, where it achieves elegance and complexity, and to regions like Australia's Yarra Valley, known for producing vibrant and fruit-forward renditions. This grape's ability to reflect its terroir, coupled with winemaking techniques, results in a wide array of profiles, including unoaked, crisp varieties with apple and citrus notes, to full-bodied wines with tropical fruit flavors and creamy textures.
