Teran, Malvasija and Sauvignon from Branko & Vasja Čotar

Teran, Malvasija and Vitovska from Branko & Vasja Čotar

Čotar Producer Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Čotar
Region	Kras
Country	Slovenia
Proprietor	Branko & Vasja Čotar
Size	7 hectares
Farming	Organic (Certified)
Soils	Red limestone topsoil, karst subsoil
Grapes grown	Vitovska, Malvasia, Teran, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc
Fun facts	Founder Branko Čotar fell in love with wine while running two local restaurants. He decided to plant the entire estate himself. The restaurants are still open on weekends and special occasions.

Founder Branko Čotar fell in love with wine while running two local restaurants. He decided to plant the entire estate himself. The restaurants are still open on weekends and special occasions.

Name of Estate	Čotar
Region	Kras
Country	Slovenia
Proprietor	Branko & Vasja Čotar
Size	7 hectares
Farming	Organic (Certified)
Soils	Red limestone topsoil, karst subsoil
Grapes grown	Vitovska, Malvasia, Teran, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc
Fun facts	Founder Branko Čotar fell in love with wine while running two local restaurants. He decided to plant the entire estate himself. The restaurants are still open on weekends and special occasions.

Get to know
Čotar

producer profile 31.05.2019

Čotar Producer Profile

Čotar (pronounced Cho-tar) is a father and son owned winery five minutes over the Italian border from the <glossary title="240">Carso</glossary> district in the hills of <glossary title="1048">Trieste</glossary>. In fact, this area is an extension of the <glossary title="240">Carso</glossary> into Slovenia, where it is known as <glossary title="567">Kras</glossary> and, while standing in their vineyards, one can see out over the <glossary title="516">Gulf of Trieste</glossary>. The winery was created over 25 years ago, when Branko Čotar’s two trattoria restaurants were the best in the region. He fell in love with the idea of growing vines and making wine, and became so good at it he gave up the restaurant business and devoted himself full time to grape growing and winemaking, with his son Vajsa quickly joining him.  On their seven <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>, they grow native <glossary title="1071">varieties</glossary> that have been grown in this soil for centuries, notably <glossary title="1019">Teran</glossary> (the local name for <glossary title="848">Refosco</glossary>), <glossary title="1113">Vitovska</glossary> and <glossary title="623">Malvasija</glossary> (<glossary title="623">Malvasia</glossary> Istriana). They also grow some <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary><glossary title="217"> </glossary>and <glossary title="650">Merlot</glossary>. The soils in the <glossary title="567">Kras</glossary>/<glossary title="240">Carso</glossary> area are specific: a thin layer of <glossary title="1032">topsoil</glossary> of “Red Earth” a derivative of <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> with a lot of <glossary title="547">iron</glossary>, under which is solid <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> formations derived from fossilized sea-life. Planting in this region is extremely difficult as the bedrock must be broken up with a tractor and the <glossary title="1032">topsoil</glossary> (of which there is never enough) needs to be trucked in and spread over the rock. The Čotar work in simple <glossary title="518">guyot</glossary> method and plant at 7300 plants per <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary>. They do not use <glossary title="526">herbicides</glossary> or <glossary title="1142">pesticides</glossary>. Their method of <glossary title="834">pruning</glossary> aims for one bottle of wine per plant.  The climate of the area is dry and influenced by the coast of the <glossary title="1194">Mediterranean</glossary>. There is sometimes a strong northeasterly wind called the Bora, but more often just a light sea-breeze that keeps the vines and grapes very dry. The <glossary title="521">harvests</glossary> are by hand and as late as possible for full <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary>. <glossary title="1129">Yields</glossary> are between 40-4 5<glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary>.  For Teran, the grapes are <glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary>, <glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary> start by <glossary title="538">indigenous yeast</glossary> and continue for 10-20 days in <glossary title="1218">open wooden vats</glossary>. The <glossary title="622">malos</glossary> are done in older <glossary title="144">barrique</glossary>. There is no <glossary title="1018">temperature control</glossary> in their glacial  <glossary title="254">cellars</glossary>. The whites are done with extended <glossary title="610">skin contact</glossary> for 4-10 days, then <glossary title="1200">pressed by hand</glossary> on an old <glossary title="935">wooden press</glossary>. They <glossary title="1104">vinify</glossary> with the <glossary title="538">natural yeasts</glossary> in small <glossary title="1218">open wooden vats</glossary> of 15<glossary title="524">hl</glossary> then go into <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> (50% <glossary title="717">new oak</glossary> and the rest of one or two years) for <glossary title="622">malolactic</glossary> and <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> on <glossary title="448">fine lees</glossary> with a little bit of <glossary title="147">bâttonage</glossary>. <glossary title="74">Aging</glossary> usually lasts 18 months. They do not <glossary title="299">clarify</glossary> or <glossary title="447">filter</glossary> any of the wines, and in the vast majority of cases <glossary title="185">bottle</glossary> them without the addition of <glossary title="993">S02</glossary>.

producer visit 19.07.2019

This visit to Čotar took place in April, 2013

This visit at Cotar took place in April, 2013. Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Maya Pedersen. After the hour drive from Clai Bijele Zemlje, we were greeted by Vasja Cotar in his native village of <glossary title="566">Komen</glossary>! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//5d/e1/5de1466154089fba619c4f9fcfbbeeef.jpg" /> Branko joined us soon afterwards, and we stepped into the family's beautiful, elaborate <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//11/67/116737849858234405bdd7d94c6e8d5c.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//d0/06/d0067c4f6464d0a6e3067a18e1e4a1c9.jpg" /> The first room we visited houses the small <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> pictured above, and serves as the <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> room for the family's <glossary title="1366">brandy</glossary>. Unlike the vast majority of winemaking countries, you are allowed to <glossary title="394">distill</glossary> your own products in Slovenia, so Vasja and Branko fully take advantage of this. The <glossary title="1104">vinification</glossary> and <glossary title="394">distillation</glossary> takes place upstairs, with <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> in the first of many underground chambers.  On the same level, old <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> of various shapes and sizes contain back <glossary title="1109">vintages</glossary> of the white wines.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//2d/c0/2dc0155173523a98652b27762d84d8ee.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//8b/46/8b46120397e61e07a084e8826b0c9479.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//4c/00/4c0019db75bf46fd94a98617a77cd8b2.jpg" /> Yes, those are sausages hanging from the ceiling in the first picture. We ate one and it was delicious. And I don't know who drew this amazing <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> art. Delving deeper into the underground, a second level is entirely dedicated to <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> the reds. Most of the <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> are <glossary title="210">Burgundian</glossary>, but there are also some bigger <glossary title="1160">vessels</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//b2/e4/b2e4f42c8f3bd102b27198ace3b00401.jpg" /> While this initially struck me as a huge <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, Kevin reminded me that the Čotar's current release is 2007: holding all those <glossary title="1109">vintages</glossary> takes up a lot of room! The room that stores the reds is another story down. To to build it, the father & son team had to completely dig through this extremely rough rock.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//13/f6/13f6787cc82382831c07d80f815d5a05.jpg" /> Someway/somehow, a bottle from an older vintage found itself imbedded in the wall.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//b9/f1/b9f11f4e3e06ffb2f45c033983309e9b.jpg" /> On the ground level, <glossary title="1104">vinification</glossary>, <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary> and bottle <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> take place. Two very old <glossary title="1200">hand presses</glossary> take care of all the crushing. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//81/f5/81f5d668e1ede24cd968fb73b69a1f1b.jpg" /> There are also some <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary> up there, but these are only used to hold the wine before <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary>.  After checking out the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, we set off to visit some vineyards. On the drive over, Branko broke down the origins of the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary>. Branko and his wife found great success by opening two of the area's most reputable eateries in the early 1970's. The food was always local, fresh and <glossary title="279">chemical</glossary> free (the area has never been affected by <glossary title="539">industrialized agriculture</glossary>), and through his restaurant work, Branko found the process of wine pairings to be fascinating. The wine's link and expression to local land quickly became an obsession, so he decided he had to make some himself. He planted his first vines in 1974, and hasn't looked back since. Branko also pointed out to the various old ladies picking through bushes to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> the seasonal wild asparagus. "If you know what you're doing, you can <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> 1kg in 15 minutes!" The first vineyard we visited is 1000 m from the mountains, but also in close proximity to the sea. Both highly affect the climate of the area.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//42/79/427940e1af30a8b3d7f0ba885035c043.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//bd/27/bd272bc4a76f791179048a677cb931b4.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//63/ca/63ca103ff84c878554df0a306adf7439.jpg" /> The vineyard is located next to a church. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//a7/4f/a74fafe41a21d3ae11774e85b863f50b.jpg" /> Just a short walk away, this <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> awaited us.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//1a/40/1a40f9200a9d871b4ebfeec548e27e8b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//15/39/15390ecd301866fa17178f52aec9a0a9.jpg" /> The story of this particular vineyard is fascinating: "This whole area is entirely stone. Wherever we could find soil, we used it, brought it here! 1500 trucks worth!" Even though vines should theoretically not be planted here, Branko saw a huge <glossary title="656">micro-climactic</glossary> potential. Through sheer ingenuity, he managed to gather large quantities of soil from nearby dolinas (little valleys) to layer over the rocky, solid <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary>; every row planted had to be to formed with a bulldozer before adding soil. Once the vines have been successfully planted, the roots are able to slink through the rocks and sink into the porous <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> <glossary title="991">subsoils</glossary>. So by intentionally placing a superficial layer of soil on these rocks (all from local hills that were not impacted in a harmful, negligent fashion), Branko effectively managed to create a unique <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>!  This is what the ground looks like on its own:  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//45/8f/458fc155e2ac963776a7753aa54a951d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//d6/59/d6598de66c6519ac789f00fc49fb8140.jpg" /> Very cool. After this first stop, we drove to an isolated area and walked through another major <glossary title="1133">plot</glossary> of land.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//12/ad/12ad29272dac3e234abff6752d5da483.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//38/31/3831477faf1e8c0db5482654d296a476.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//08/59/08590c286771eed31ebbdd978ace0026.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//7d/ef/7def73493b72c1285d69b58d36e524d3.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//02/46/024600a78eef1fbe8cf155b1208ad541.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//e4/77/e477fcc09f0e77d7e36c9c6973bcefc8.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//64/45/6445d1ddb757d1a0a9d5f71be48b4bf0.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//d7/a9/d7a9e7ef3052c0c0533153d06a3e85f0.jpg" /> All in all, the Čotar own 10 different <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> spread over seven <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>, all within 2km of the <glossary title="233">cantina</glossary>. They have planted 100% of these, all in <glossary title="941">massale</glossary>. With the exception of the two sites we visited, all their other vines are 500m from the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>.  We then got to taste current and future releases while eating the aforementioned sausage. Some good factoids gathered here: grapes are systematically <glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary> before <glossary title="827">press</glossary>, frozen <glossary title="765">passito</glossary> <glossary title="700">must</glossary> is used to make the sparklings, <glossary title="1113">Vitovska</glossary> has lower alcohol and higher <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> than  <glossary title="623">Malvasia</glossary>, they just ripped out their <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> vines but Branko loves it so much they might actually replant...  We also got to taste some stuff that doesn't make it stateside. The "B.B", which stands for Branko and Branka (Branko's wife), is 50/50 <glossary title="623">Malvasia</glossary> and <glossary title="1113">Vitosvka</glossary>. The "Terra Rossa" -a <glossary title="168">blend</glossary> of 40% <glossary title="650">Merlot</glossary>, 40% <glossary title="1019">Teran</glossary> and 20% <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary>- showed a lot of power, but remained elegant. Once we'd finished tasting, we got an opportunity to eat where it all started! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_19//78/95/78959f197f58978518f604e0a0ef57cc.jpg" /> For many years, the restaurant has been closed. But due to popular demand, Branko and Branka reopened it on the weekends. Lucky for us it was a Friday! Or Saturday. I can't remember... Dinner proved to be very entertaining and educational. We got to drink a 1980 "house wine" that used to be made for the restaurant. It was a <glossary title="168">blend</glossary> of all the grapes grown at the time, and while still alive and drinkable, was not particularly captivating. The 1997 <glossary title="927">Sauvignon Blanc</glossary>, 1997 <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary> and 1999 "Terra Rossa" <glossary title="852">Riserva</glossary>, however, were very impressive.  Alex Miranda started asking Branko about their decision to work with <glossary title="610">skin contact</glossary> on the whites, to which he replied:  "Because we were part of the iron curtain, the area was always completely void of any outside influence. The wine was always made this way. No one even knew what <glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary> was up until 15 years ago."  Oh, did I mention all of the Cotar wines are un - <glossary title="993">sulphured</glossary>? Now you know!

harvest report 18.10.2017

Pictures from the 2017 Harvest at Côtar

harvest report 13.08.2014

2014 Harvest Report by Vasja Čotar

November 11th, 2014: 2014 in <glossary term="Karst" title="1397">Karst</glossary> was full of rain, because we started a little later in the middle of September. Either way, the quality of some grapes was good. We began with the <glossary title="623">Malvazija</glossary> and continued with <glossary title="1113">Vitovska</glossary>. For the end we picked the red grapes. First we started with <glossary title="650">Merlot</glossary>, then <glossary title="1019">Teran</glossary>. Our last day of picking was October 5th for the <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary>. Here you have a some pictures.... <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//f8/f5/f8f52c46b2ca39607b6151b0d671ae1b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//d8/32/d8329c1842b4d1e583bf7c3e49a6f59d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ec/ca/ecca3e8be2cf1f2a0880673b96cde0af.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//f0/5e/f05e190dc5551ec3ce009227b6b32c9e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//a7/e0/a7e0fe151bf74b5c2271f1b1d10d1858.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ca/fe/cafe1272cb6bb162efbb970dad0f2f99.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//c2/97/c29758f6ed281c80f0a4f5a4ae451676.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//f6/16/f616eed57a054fbf5ca0b6b52cae6f9f.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//d3/ac/d3accdb6423dd1aa8c8812d2e270fb20.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//42/bc/42bcb49727830a9f3420806a9f005ad0.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//4d/cd/4dcd08b9883e4e6675793a132aeb4e80.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//c2/88/c288cd08aca6068a1ce2ebbe2b3edc9b.jpg" />