On Friday, August 11th, internationally renowned wine critic James Suckling, considered one of the most influential wine critics in the world, visited the Brda region.
During his visit to Brda, he tasted wines from several producers from Brda. He wrote on Facebook about his experience, stating that in Brda he tasted many excellent wines that are rich, intense, and with great depth, reflecting the heroic viticulture on the steep slopes of Brda.
The famous American wine critic, James Suckling, was presented with a selection of wines from the de Baguer cellar. He recently published ratings of our wines on his website JamesSuckling.com. He was particularly impressed by rebula de Baguer single vineyard motnik 2017, which he awarded an impressive 94 out of 100 points, as well as the A plus red 2017 and de Baguer merlot-cabernet franc 2017, both receiving 93 points. In addition to these wines, he also tasted the de Baguer chardonnay-sauvignon blanc 2017 blend, which received an excellent score of 92 points.
All four highly-rated wines mature in the exclusive de Baguer cellar, where Klet Brda keeps its best wines. Wines from the de Baguer cellar are known for their maturity, structural richness, and exceptional elegance, which impress both experts at international competitions and wine connoisseurs. Production is limited to the best vintages in limited series.
The grapes for rebula de Baguer single vineyard motnik 2017, which received the highest score of 94 points, come from the Lisičk vineyard, located on a steep slope above the Brda village of Neblo. This terraced vineyard, growing on classic marlstone, has been cultivated sustainably for a decade. Single vineyard Motnik is a unique rebula with a completely different character from our other wines. Due to a ten-month maceration, the wine falls into the category of orange wines, but the production process was carefully managed to give the wine an intense golden color. The wine embodies the tradition of ancient winemaking and the modern knowledge and interpretation of one of Slovenia’s most promising winemakers, Darinko Ribolica.
James Suckling is one of the world’s leading wine critics. His ratings are read and appreciated by wine enthusiasts, serious wine collectors, and wine buyers from around the world. He is the president and editor-in-chief of the website jamessuckling.com, based in Hong Kong. Since the start of his career, he has rated over 250,000 wines. He has 339,000 followers on Instagram and organizes 20 wine events around the world each year.
During his recent visit, he suggested that we send him some additional wines for him to evaluate. The fact that our wines have sparked his interest and received impressive ratings demonstrates that they are of exceptional quality and reflect the terroir of Brda, which we proudly represent as representatives of the region.
De Baguer Single vineyard Motnik Lisićk 2017
Score: 94 Points
11 Aug, 2023 – Minerally and flinty with sliced lemon, white pepper and cloves. Medium-bodied with firm and phenolic tannins and a flavorful finish. Plenty going on here. A single vineyard wine from the cooperative of Brda that represents 50% of the production. Serious. Wow. Drink now.
De Baguer A Plus 2017
Score: 93 Points
Typical tobacco, olive and smoke characters with cassis and berries. Fine line between fineness and some fresh leafiness. Medium body with soft tannins that last and grow on the palate. Very refined and polished. A blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Drink now.
De Baguer Merlot Cabernet Franc 2017
Score: 93 Points
11 Aug, 2023 – This is spiced and dark-fruited with chocolate, licorice and bark undertones. Some dried flowers, too. Full-bodied with a richness and opulence to the fruit and velvety tannins. It’s wide and generous with a persistent, lingering finish. A touch too much wood, but there is pretty fruit underneath. Drink now.
De Baguer Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Score: 92 Points
11 Aug, 2023 – Ripe golden berries, some oatmeal, fine lees and some peaches. Creamy and fresh on the palate with medium acidity and a nicely phenolic finish. A blend of 70% chardonnay and 30% sauvignon blanc. Drink now.
At this year’s jubilee 20th Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), two of the red wines from the de Baguer wine cellar, known for producing the best wines of the Klet Brda winery, received a score of 95 points and a GOLD MEDAL. Klet Brda was awarded gold for two of our red blends – A Plus Red 2017 and de Baguer Merlot-Cabernet Franc 2017, obtaining the best result among Slovenian winemakers and reaffirming the consistent quality of our wines.
For this year’s assessment, Klet Brda entered 16 wines, of which 2 received a gold medal, 7 were awarded a silver medal, and 7 a bronze medal – an impressive feat, which we were delighted to achieve.
Thanks to its strict rules, highly professional committee, and the renowned magazine of the same name, dedicated to organizing, and promoting the competition, Decanter World Wine Awards is considered as the world’s most prestigious and greatest wine competition. This year, wines were assessed in London by 236 international wine experts from all over the world, of which 53 were Masters of Wine and 16 Masters Sommeliers. This year’s assessment featured 18,250 wines from 57 countries.
The gold medals received for the A plus and de Baguer red wines from the de Baguer wine cellar are an extraordinary achievement, which tops this year’s impressive number of medals awarded to our wines. These medals reaffirm the consistent quality of Klet Brda wines, not only those in the highest class but also those in the middle and higher class, such as Quercus, Krasno, and Bagueri Superior, of which several received excellent scores and either a silver or a bronze medal. This is an important recognition at a prestigious competition, where samples are assessed according to region and price category, making the prizes even more significant as they efficiently support sales on a global wine market, where consistency in quality is of key importance.
The A Plus and de Baguer wines are the best that Brda soil has to offer to an experienced wine lover. Both are made of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with Cabernet Sauvignon added to A Plus Red. The grapes for these wines are grown in selected vineyards, cultivated with utmost care and according to the principles of sustainable production. In the vineyard and in the cellar, nothing is left to chance. The result of that is wine of the greatest quality, which reflects the style and personal touch of the Winery’s great oenologist, Darinko Ribolica, who strives to achieve fullness and assertive character in the A Plus blend and finesse and elegance in the de Baguer blend. The wines from the selected vineyards, situated at the best sites, are matured in the de Baguer wine cellar at the Dobrovo castle and are only produced in the best vintages and in limited quantities.
The A Plus Red 2017 wine can only be described with superlatives. This is an extraordinary 2017 vintage, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc from the best sites. It was carefully aged in the best barriques under the watchful eye of the legendary oenologist Darinko Ribolica, who is known for creating winning combinations over and over again.
The main oenologist Darinko Ribolica describes this award-winning wine as follows: “This is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc from the best sites, in which we strive to find the extract, fullness, and structure to best express the Brda soil. The fact that A Plus Red received 95 points and a gold medal at Decanter proves that the region of Goriška Brda is great for producing dry red wines. However, this result would not have been possible without the expertise of our team and the years of experience in aging the best Brda wines.”
The gold medal for the de Baguer Merlot-Cabernet Franc 2017 was another recognition of their efforts and years of commitment to determine the sites through which Brda terroir could be best expressed. By choosing older vineyards of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from selected sites, we were able to strive for a sophisticated fruity character, elegance, and mineral character typical of Brda.
International evaluators agree on which characteristics are shared by the winning wines at Decanter and have emphasised three key qualities. The first is communication; the winning wine must clearly communicate its origin and character. The second is ultimate enjoyment, which only the best wines can offer. And the third is excellence, which stems from terroir and high quality in all phases of production and is reflected in the wine’s complexity, full taste, and the length of its finish. The received awards give us the assurance that all three of these characteristics are represented in our wines.
92 out of 100 points for Pinot Grigio Ramato Bagueri superior 2021 at 5StarWines wine selection at Vinitaly, Verona!
As part of the side-fair activities of the largest wine fair in Italy, Vinitaly in Verona, the Veronafiere fairground, in cooperation with the Assoenologi association, once again held an international three-day blind wine evaluation of 5StarWines at the end of March this year. Wines that received more than 90 out of 100 points were included in the 5StarWines – the Book guide.
This year, the evaluation took place for the seventh time, and the international commission evaluated as many as 2,200 wines, of which 733 were included in the guide.
We are pleased that our wine Pinot Grigio Ramato Bagueri superior 2021 received 92 points out of 100 and was thus included in the international wine guide.
Vinitaly Verona 2023
This year, Klet Brda will once again present itself to the general public at one of the largest wine fairs in Europe. Vinitaly will take place from April 2-5, 2023.
Come to Verona and visit us in hall 6, stand C5.
We will present you our excellent wines and this year’s award winners.
We will be happy to have you!
Between March 8th and 10th, 2023, the 30th International competition Chardonnay du Monde took place at the Château des Ravatys in Saint-Lager, Burgundy. The jury consists of 200 recognized international wine judges, among whom has been our chief oenologist Darinko Ribolica for many years.
Chardonnay found its second homeland in Brda. The Mediterranean climate, mineral soil called “opoka”, sunny locations and careful work in the vineyard allow Chardonnay to express itself in all its beauty. With a distinct aroma of elderberry, kiwi, gooseberry and passion fruit and a fresh taste, it goes perfectly with fish dishes, vegetable risottos and light cheeses.
We were very happy with the news that our wine, Chardonnay Quercus 2022, convinced the demanding committee and received the gold medal. The fact that Chardonnay Quercus 2022 was included in the Top 10 Best Chardonnay du Monde 2023 ensured that the joy was even greater!
ProWein 2023
Join us at the International Wine Fair in Düsseldorf from 19th to 21st March 2023.
You will find us in hall 12/ A38.
In addition, we invite you to the Pinot Gris Masterclass workshop with Caroline Gilby, which will take place on March 19, 2023 between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. in hall 13/ F76 (FORUM 13.1).
Don’t forget to visit us also at the Vinitaly fair in Verona.
We look forward to seeing you!
Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris
We kindly invite you to Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, from 13th to 15th of February 2023.
Visit us in hall 5.2, stand D25.
We will present our most recent wines and awarded wines.
We’re looking forward to meeting you there!
The results are in for the 48th National Wine Competition Vino Slovenija, which took place in Gornja Radgona Slovenia.
With 2 champion titles, 5 gold medals, and 15 silver medals, Klet Brda has reaffirmed the consistent quality of its wines. Excelling at this year’s competition, was Cabernet Sauvignon Bagueri 2018 which was awarded the highest title of Champion. Among the wines with the highest scores are also Chardonnay Bagueri 2018 and Rebula Bagueri 2019, recipients of gold medals asserting the premium quality of the Baqueri line, which year after year excels at domestic and international wine competitions, receiving the most medals.
Cabernet Sauvignon Bagueri 2018 impressed the evaluators in Gornja Radgona with its deep ruby red colour with purple hues, distinct aroma of blackcurrant, plum jam, cocoa, and chocolate, and a velvety full-bodied taste with sweet tanins, which combined with the aroma of vanilla create an extremely harmonious and complex wine. Grapes for Cabernet Sauvignon Bagueri 2018 were picked manually in terraced vineyards with SW and SE position. Fermentation took place in French barriques barrels. The wine then matured in French barriques barrels for at least 24 months.
Awarded wines:
Cabernet Sauvignon Bagueri 2018 – Champion
Chardonnay Bagueri 2018 – gold medal
Rebula Bagueri 2019 – gold medal
Pinot Noir Quercus 2019 – silver medal
Pinot Grigio Ramato Bagueri 2020 – silver medal
Merlot Quercus 2020 – silver medal
Krasno White blend 2021 – silver medal
Sauvignonasse Quercus 2021 – silver medal
Pinot Grigio Quercus 2021 – silver medal
Rebula Krasno 2020 – silver medal
Chardonnay Quercus 2021 – silver medal
Quercus red selection 2020 – silver medal
Pinot Grigio Ramato is perfect for wine lovers who expect more from their Pinot Grigio.
This wine is produced with a special method, which gives it its unique copper colour, called by Friulian locals “ramato” (rame is Italian for copper). Ramato refers to the production method unique to the Pinot Grigio variety, which was developed in the middle of the 19th century, in Italy. Produced in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region for over centuries, this variety has, as one of the first international varieties, found its second home in Brda.
Pinot Grigio is a white variety, which derives from Pinot Noir, but differs from it with its unique greyish pink skin. After being pressed at the winery, grapes are left in contact with skins for 2 days. This maceration gives the wine its tactile texture, richer and fuller taste, and coppery hues. Because of its specific structure, this wine can be paired with different dishes, such as prosciutto, seafood, white meat, and Asian food.
At this year’s 19th Decanter World Wine Awards 15 of our submitted wines received a medal which is an amazing success. Our wine Rebula Bagueri Superior 2018 received 95 points and was awarded a GOLD MEDAL. In addition, we received bronze and silver medals for 9 of our brands (A Plus, De Baguer, Krasno and Quercus), a medal for wine Krasno Sauvignon Blanc / Ribolla Gialla which we sell in the UK market and also for wines of Schumacher brand. With this success Klet Brda affirms its constant quality not only in the premium segments but also for wines which are fresh and easily available.
Each medal is its own story, however in international business consistent wine quality is that one important asset which sets wineries apart. Each year our wines win high medals at all important international wine competitions which is a proof of their consistent quality. Each bottle of our wine is the result of devoted work from our farmers, members of Klet Brda cooperative, and our team of cellar men and winemaker.
Awarded wines:
Rebula Bagueri superior 2018
A plus belo 2017
de Baguer Merlot-Cabernet Franc 2017
Single Vineyard Merlot 2018
Krasno Sauvignon Blanc-Ribolla Gialla 2021
Schumacher Cabernet Franc 2018
Schumacher Pinot Noir 2018
Krasno White 2020
Rebula Quercus 2021
Pinot Grigio Quercus 2021
Bagueri Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Krasno Red 2020
Schumacher Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Quercus Red Selection 2020
Pinot Bianco Quercus 2021
