Santei Wines
Dolanci, Slovenia (Vipava Valley)
Sandra and Matej Bizjak bought the estate in Dolanci, near Štanjel, in 2008 — a self-confessed foodie couple with no winemaking pedigree, just conviction — revived the property, and bottled their first wines by 2010.
The setting does a lot of the work. The vineyards sit above 220 meters in the Upper Branica, the rugged high country where the Vipava Valley climbs into the Karst, on the flysch soil locals call soudan — layered marl, siltstone, and sandstone that vines adore. The farming reflects Sandra's training: certified organic, Demeter biodynamic since 2021, and genuinely regenerative — cover crops, living soil, zero insecticides or pesticides, in a landscape of protected streams and juniper groves where deer, foxes, and other animals patrol the vineyards at night.
Nearly everything in the cellar sees some skin contact, with maceration times tuned to each variety and vintage — Matej's precision at work — yet the wines stay fresh, lively, and dangerously drinkable. Zelen and Rebula lead the whites, the latter from a tiny high-altitude parcel called Muzovc; Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah handle the reds. There's even house spirits, distilled from their own grapes with hand-picked herbs.
IMPORTED SELECTIONS
Four Legs Red
Merlot
Pinela
Rebula
Russo
Zelen