2020 Malvazija

Filip Koletnik grew up in Austria and studied law before ending up in Slovenia, where he became the CEO of an optical company. This isn’t what you would call the most logical path to becoming a winemaker, but Filip has always had natural wine as his hobby, and the creative urge in him was so strong that he now makes wine without intervention from vineyards in both Croatia and Slovenia under the name of Atimo.

Atimo means moment in Italian (which is actually spelled Attimo), just as the image on the wine’s label is a moment in time captured by a Slovenian photographer at the beginning of the 20th century. The name is also an anagram of ti amo, which of course means I love you in Italian. The Italian references are quite possibly based on the fact that some of Filip’s idols are producers such as Dario Princic and Radikon in Friuli across the border.

Filip Koletnik lives in Kranj, 25 km north of Ljubljana, but buys his grapes from biodynamic farmers. He takes charge of the harvest himself where he and his team hand-pick the healthiest grapes with the perfect ripeness. The vineyards in Croatia are located both in central Istria and in Petrovija on the west coast, and the vinification itself takes place in Šišan in southern Istria. The vineyards in Slovenia are located in Goriška Brda, and the wine is made in Plešivo, close to the Italian border.

In the cellar, Filip follows the firm belief that the best things are natural and that the grape itself contains everything that is needed to create the wine. He interferes as little as possible to produce wines that both reflect the terroir and the moment that they come from. This means no cultured yeast, no fining or filtration, no temperature control and no added sulphur. The wine macerates for nine months in old 500-litre tonneaux barrels followed by ageing in old oak barrels on the lees for a minimum of 12 months.

Atimo makes vibrant, full-bodied and aromatic wines with a complex minerality, a long aftertaste and a very distinct terroir.