Radikon Slatnik 2023 Magnum

Radikon Slatnik 2023 Magnum

Radikon
$105.00

Grape: Chardonnay Tocai Friulano
Vintage: 2023
Type: Orange

Hailing from the steep, terraced hills of Oslavia in Friuli, right along the Italian-Slovenian border, this benchmark skin-contact bottling represents the pioneering legacy of the Radikon family. Sourced from organically farmed vines rooted in ponca—a unique regional soil of layered, mineral-rich marl and sandstone—the fruit is harvested entirely by hand at optimal maturity. In the cellar, Saša Radikon uses a slightly shorter maceration period than the estate's blue-label flagships, destemming and fermenting the grapes on their skins in oak vats for roughly 10 to 12 days. Following a restful year and a half of maturation on its fine lees in large neutral oak casks, it is bottled completely unfiltered, unfined, and with zero added sulfur.

In the glass, it glows with a striking, slightly hazy amber-orange hue with deep copper reflections. The nose is highly intricate and layered, opening with intense notes of dried apricot, candied orange peel, wild mountain honey, and a fragrant, herbal hint of damp chamomile and bay leaf. On the palate, a "crystalline" core of laser-sharp, mineral acidity cuts straight through the wine’s natural phenolic weight and broad texture. The skin contact imparts a beautiful, structural grip of fine-grained, tea-like tannins that masterfully shapes the mouthfeel without turning bitter. It concludes with an incredibly long, bone-dry finish that leaves a persistent, mouthwatering trail of dried orchard fruits, toasted almonds, and crushed stone.

 

Radikon is one of the foundational names of the modern skin-contact and natural-wine movement. Based in Oslavia, in Friuli near the Slovenian border, the Radikon family built its identity around long macerations for white grapes, minimal sulfur and a deeply traditional approach that had become radical by modern standards. Stanko Radikon helped bring these methods to international attention, and the estate continues under his family with Ribolla Gialla, Jakot, Pinot Grigio and other varieties. The wines are amber, structured and savory, less about novelty than about reviving a borderland culture of patience, texture and uncompromising farming.