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Keltis

Mario White Sparkling 2018

Price: $30.95
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Tasting notes

Rumeni Plavec is grown in commercial quantities almost nowhere outside Bizeljsko-Sremič, and it gives this wine a sharp, mouthwatering acidity that Chardonnay alone would not deliver. The lees-driven texture and bone-dry finish sit in a register between Champagne and pét-nat, with chalky minerality and fresh apple defining every sip.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Golden AppleWildflowersBreadLemon Peel
  • Style: Brut nature sparkling; pale lemon; bone dry; apple, wildflower, bread; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: Chardonnay and Rumeni Plavec; organic; schist, clay, sandstone; 350m elevation, SW-facing; Bizeljsko-Sremič, Posavje, Slovenia
  • Winemaking: Direct press; spontaneous fermentation in estate-wood oak; lees aging with battonage; second fermentation in bottle; unfiltered; no dosage; brut nature
  • Serving: Serve at 37-43F; no decanting needed; open carefully as pét-nat style
  • Pairing: Oysters, seafood crudo, fried zucchini blossoms, fresh goat cheese, sushi
  • Similar To: For fans of Champagne brut nature and Loire pét-nat who want something genuinely off the beaten path

Keltis Mario is a brut nature sparkling wine from the Kelhar family estate in the village of Bizeljsko, in the Bizeljsko-Sremič sub-district of Posavje, southeastern Slovenia. The blend is Chardonnay and Rumeni Plavec, an indigenous white grape grown almost exclusively in this corner of Slovenia and prized for its high natural acidity. Vines are farmed organically on schist, clay, and sandstone soils at around 350 meters elevation with a southwest-facing orientation.

Grapes are hand-harvested in late August, directly pressed, and fermented spontaneously without added yeast. The wine matures on fine lees with regular battonage before a second fermentation in bottle that creates the bubbles naturally. It is unfiltered and released with no dosage, making it a true brut nature-style pet-nat.

In the glass it is pale lemon with tiny, active bubbles. The nose leads with peeled apple and yellow fruit alongside wildflowers and a light yeasty bread quality from extended lees contact. On the palate it is bone dry, crisp, and mineral, with a long finish that carries chalky texture and fresh citrus.

The 2018 vintage comes from a family farm that has held organic certification since 2009. The estate manages 5 hectares of vines within a 22-hectare property that includes 12 hectares of forest, the wood from which is used for the cellar barrels.

The bone-dry acidity and fine bubbles make this a strong opener with raw seafood: oysters, crudo, or lightly dressed shrimp. It also works well alongside soft fresh cheeses and vegetable-forward dishes where you want the wine to cut through rather than complement. Try it with fried foods like zucchini blossoms or tempura, where the effervescence and acidity act as a palate cleanser.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Sparkling Wine
Wine Style:, Sparkling
Grapes:, Chardonnay, Rumeni Plavec
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Slovenia
Region:, Posavska
Appellation:, Bizeljsko-Sremič
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Keltis

Keltis is the winery of the Kelhar family, whose roots in Bizeljsko span more than two centuries. The estate covers 22 hectares in total, with 5 hectares under vine and 12 hectares of forest that supply wood for the cellar's barrels. Bottled wines under the Keltis label date to 1989, when the family pushed more seriously into viticulture alongside their existing mixed farming of cattle, fruit trees, and vegetables. Today the winery is run by Marijan Kelhar and his wife Ana.

The farm has held organic certification since 2009. Biodynamic practices were introduced in 2019 and Demeter certification was awarded in 2022. Ten grape varieties are grown across the estate, with production focused on white and sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Rumeni Plavec, Muscat, and Pinot Noir. Red wines, made primarily from Merlot and Cabernet, account for roughly 15 percent of output.

For the Mario sparkling wines, grapes are hand-picked at the end of August, directly pressed, and fermented spontaneously without added yeast in oak barrels made from the estate's own forest timber. The wine matures on fine lees with battonage before undergoing a second fermentation in bottle. It is bottled without filtration and released as brut nature with no dosage.

Wine region

Posavska, Slovenia

Posavje (Posavska) is the smallest of Slovenia's three wine regions, covering approximately 4,400 hectares in the southeast of the country along the border with Croatia. The region is divided into three sub-districts: Dolenjska, Bizeljsko-Sremič, and Bela Krajina. The climate is continental with sub-Pannonian influences: cold winters, moderate springs, warm to hot summers, and around 1,100mm of annual rainfall. Soils across the region are primarily sandstones, clay, and calcareous binders, with marl and limestone appearing in the Bizeljsko-Sremič area.

Bizeljsko-Sremič is a narrow strip along the northern bank of the Sava River, sheltered from northern winds by mountain ranges and widely considered the best viticultural ground in Posavje. Vineyards sit between 200 and 400 meters elevation. The sub-district has a long tradition of sparkling wine production and is the only area in Slovenia where the indigenous white grape Rumeni Plavec is grown in any meaningful quantity. Rumeni Plavec is prized for its high acidity and is used in the local blended wines Bizeljčan and Sremičan, as well as in sparkling wines alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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