The Lavrenčič family history dates back to 1499 in this small village, and third generation to cultivate grapes in his region, Primoz Lavrenčič is the man currently in charge of this organic and bio-dynamically farmed estate. He left the family estate ‘Sutor,’ in 2009 to start his own label, ‘Burja.’ 

Burja is the name of the strong wind that blows through the Vipava valley, greatly influencing not only daily life, but absolutely all agriculture in the region. Him naming his estate after this local phenomenon is not by chance, his new estate was to focus on indigenous and local varieties, rather than the international varieties the government almost forces winemakers to plant. 

The Vipava Valley is an extension of Friuli into Slovenia. It’s a place where the mountains meet the sea, creating an environment of extremes, thus, breeding wines that have a distinct and dynamic sense of place. 

Soil is varied, but most of them are planted on Flysch – a sedimentary rock that has layers of silt and sandstone, deposited in a marine environment. This, with various other types of marl, help create the complexity Primoz is looking for. 

Picture by Marijan Mocivnik, Studio AJD.