Edi Kante Vitovska "Selezione" 2016

This stunning wine is rooted in the Carso (Karst) plateau—a rugged, windswept subregion of Friuli-Venezia Giulia where viticulture has long contended with stark limestone soils and the absolutely brutal Bora wind. Vitovska, an indigenous white grape (likely born of a  cross between Prosecco Tondo and Malvasia Bianca Lunga), was historically used in blends but has seen a modern renaissance as a single-varietal expression of Carso’s terroir. Edi Kante, took over his family’s farm in the late 1980s, and is widely credited with spearheading Carso’s quality revolution—carving a three-level, 18-meter-deep cellar into the bedrock and championing native varieties like Vitovska and Malvasia. His ‘Selezione’ program highlights the best vineyard selections from exceptional vintages, and they're held back 8–10 years before release. The result deep complexity and incredible drinkability upon arrival.

Vinification for the 2016 Selezione is meticulous and minimal: hand-harvested then destemmed and macerated on the skins for 14 days to extract texture and depth without overt tannin. Stainless steel fermentation followed by 12 months of aging in large, old/neutral oak barrels (up to 18 years old—no new wood) and then a further 6 months in stainless steel on the lees. The 2016 component was aged separately for 3 years before being blended with the 2015, held for a week, then bottled unfiltered and aged for an additional 7 years in bottle prior to release! The result is a wine of profound minerality, saline drive, and layered complexity—pure Carso in a glass, shaped by Kante’s philosophy of patience, neutrality, and unwavering fidelity to place. You won't find a wine like this anywhere else.