Edi Kante Terrano 2018

“Crushed wild berries, violets, sweet smoke and hints of clove fill the senses as the 2018 Terrano opens in the glass. It’s remarkably pretty and lifted with cooling acids and inner herbal tones, as notes of young strawberry evolve into rosy inner florals over a staining of salty minerals. This leaves a bitter twang upon the senses while tapering off long to a hint of licorice. There’s a truly alpine feel to the 2018 Terrano. Drinking window: 2023-2028. 91 points

Extreme focus, unbridled energy, staining minerality and precision; these are all things that are inherent in the wines of Edi Kante. It’s interesting when you consider the man. Edi Kante casts a towering presence. He isn’t quick to speak; but when he does, he imparts more knowledge in a few moments than most people do through an entire conversation. Kante is also an artist, whose work is plastered on the walls of the winery’s tasting room and is also used for the labels of his selections, such as the Chardonnay La Bora di Kante. While considered a pioneer of the Carso, and at one time the “Orange” wine movement, today, his portfolio comes across as quite unique from many of his neighbors, focused on immaculate purity, freshness and varietal character. The three-story gravity-flow cellar is dug deeply into the sheer limestone hills of the region, and as you descend down to each new level, the temperatures sink lower and lower. While Kante prefers to age his wines for a year, and sometimes longer in oak, refinement is completed all in neutral barrels of various sizes. The classic line is then placed into stainless steel for another six months, while the wines from the Selezione lineup will remain there until they are “ready”. Once bottled, the wines are moved to the lowest and coldest depths of the cellar, where they remain for six to seven years prior to release, making the 2012 Chardonnay La Bora di Kante a current release. This portfolio is a great place to look for local varieties that really transmit the terrain of the Carso, with its limestone and red clay soils, warming Mediterranean currants from the nearby sea, and strong Bora winds that blow down from the north. Yet, in my opinion, the real magic and the passion of Kante is found in the winery’s late-release Selezione wines.”

Eric Guido, Vinous (04/22)