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Zvonko and Herman Kabaj Slovrenc 4 5212 Dobrovo phone: +386 65 45-209 |
The Kabajs' six hectares (14.8 acres) of vineyards lie on medium-high Brda sites around Slovrenc. The vines are planted on wide terraces. These are mostly old vineyards, although some sites are being replanted with new high-quality clones. Tokaj is the dominant grape, but Rumeni Muskat, Malvazija, Sauvignon, and Beli Pinot are also cultivated. Red varieties are a minority, mostly Merlot and Cabernet Frank; Cabernet Sauvignon is being planted in some renovated vineyards.
The Kabaj winery produces 350 to 400 hectoliters (9247 to 10,568 gallons) of wines annually. Thirty hectoliters (792 gallons) is blended table wine sold open to neighbouring inns and visitors. Most of the Kabajs' production is bottled as high-quality varietal wines.
Tokaj is the cellar's specialty: dry, surprisingly fragrant, with a stressed varietal bouquet. The 1993 Tokaj won a gold medal at the Ljubljana Wine Fair and is fondly remembered by connoisseurs. The Kabajs achieve outstanding quality by severely limiting the yield of their Tokaj vines, so the annual production is only some six thousand bottles.
Beli Pinot is another of the Kabajs' successes, gentle, with a specific aroma that gives the drinker an impression of slight sweetness though this is a dry wine. Their Sauvignon and Merlot are also excellent.
Their Rumeni Muskat, fermented in the berries (carbon maceration), has a very rich bouquet and just a slightly sweet taste - the residual sugar content of this wine is usually on the border between dry and semi-dry. The Kabajs also dry Malvazija grapes to produce a strong semi-sweet passito-style wine.
Kabaj wines are very hard to find in shops. The winegrowers simply do not trust vintners to keep their wines properly stored so very few get the opportunity to sell their produce. Connoisseurs usually travel to Slovrenc to sample and buy these excellent wines.
The best Kabaj vintages are 1993 and 1994.
