Super Whites
Friuli’s great white wines selected by Slow Food
Vinopolis, London
7th July 2006
Friuli lies in the north east corner of Italy, with borders to Slovenia and Austria, although the vineyards are all in the south and east of the region. The climate is determined by the mountains to the north and east, which protect Friuli from the cold north winds, while the Adriatic sea to the south, together with the relatively high rainfall, limits the range of temperature variation.
The history of winemaking in Friuli goes back to the Roman Empire and the Roman army’s practice of founding colonia of retired legionaries to help control less settled territories. Although the Romans had friendly relations with the Illyrian tribe of the Veneti, the colony of Aquileia was founded in 181BC at the start of the second century BC to control passage through the passes through the Julian and Carnic Alps. The retiring legionaries and their families settled in Aquileia, with grants of land, money and vines. The Roman settlers gradually converted Friuli into an integral part of Italy, and in time the colonia of Aquileia became an important city, eventually gaining the status of a second city to Rome herself; and more importantly for our purposes, a thriving wine culture and industry developed around the city.
Friuli’s importance as a wine producing region continued, in no small way due to its geographical location, at an important crossroads and as an important gateway for eastern and western Christianity. More recently, Friuli was an important vineyard for the Austro-Hungarian empire.
A defining characteristic of Friuli is the large number of varieties grown, many of which are indigenous, and the dominance of white varieties. Blended wines are common, the result of the large number of varieties. Vines are grown across the Friulan plain and cover as much of the hillsides as the aspect, climate and soil types will allow. Today, white varieties account for more than 70% of production from hillside vineyards, while on the plains, there are more or less equal plantings of white and red varieties.
Until the 1970s, much of the wines produced were made in quite an old fashioned style, but then a few producers, including the redoubtable Josko Gravner introduced modern winemaking techniques, making much use of stainless steel and temperature-control to retain the freshness of the fruit, and the use of new oak barriques rather than old botti. More recently, Gravner has moved back to more old-fashioned techniques, but the modern style still holds sway for most producers.
The Super Whites project was inspired by Slow Food’s wish to bring to wider attention the quality of the white wines made in Friuli by the large number of small, almost artisinal producers
The large number of varieties, many grown by individual producers only in very small quantities, means that blends are common. Are blended wines better than those made from a single grape variety? That’s a difficult question to answer: I attended a workshop which sought to provide some answers. The workshop took us through a number of single varieties and then some blending practice.
Single varietal wines can have more purity and can well be compared to the work of a modern composer; while blended wines can be better compared to the work of a classical composer, with greater texture and complexity. Single varieties emphasise the unique characteristics of the grape variety and the variations in climate and vintage. There are also international benchmarks for single varietal wines, at least those from the more international varieties. Blended wines, by contrast, show more consistency from year to year, and emphasise the characteristics of the producing region and the house style of a particular winery (the latter are all particularly important in Champagne!).
The grapes we were playing with in this workshop were:
Ribolla Gialla
Ribolla has been grown in Friuli since the 13th century and is now widely regarded as one of the indigenous varieties. It is late-ripening and has a delicate flavour and can contribute good acidity to a blend.
Tocai Friulano
Tocai Friulano is probably Friuli’s flagship variety, although it was imported from France (where it is known as sauvignonasse) in the early 20th Century. Apparently, it is a difficult variety for producers: its acidity decreases sharply when ripe and there are many oxidising compounds in the skin. A bitter almond aftertaste is a characteristic of Tocai Friulano.
In the same way that the Tokay Pinot Gris/Tokay d’Alsace wines of Alsace will have to change their name with the accession of Hungary to the EU to protect the Tokaji name, so also Tocai Friulano will have to change its name on the bottle to just Friulano.
Pinot Blanc/Pinot Bianco
Pinot Blanc, a genetic mutation of pinot noir, has been grown in Friuli since the second half of the 19th Century and lends elegance, richness and harmony to blends. Worldwide, pinot blanc/pinot bianco plantings are declining. By contrast, pinot grigio has seen the biggest growth in Friuli in recent decades: all new plantings funded by the EU are of pinot grigio.
Malvasia Istriana
Malvasia Istriana is a very ancient variety from the Mediterranean that came to
Friuli through Venice in the 16th Century. It is not widely grown
now, and the clone in the Villa Russiz example is particularly rare. The grape
has good acidity even when ripe and is important for its spectrum of aromas,
with lots of tropical fruits and flowers.
Wine 1 was a 2004 Ribolla Gialla Turian, Collavini. A mid green straw. Slightly vegetal gooseberry and green apple nose, rather reminiscent of sauvignon blanc. The palate is rich and full, and clearly not sauvignon. Quite direct, with really good concentration. Lovely fresh acidity. Very good finish. Immense length. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
Wine 2: 2005 Tocai Friulano, Ronco del Gelso. A deepish bright gold. This is just a touch dull on the nose: quite butter with some fresh, unripe peaches and green banana skin notes. Very easy, round, open palate with nice interesting flavours. The wine has a good weight to balance the freshness. There’s a spicy, bitter nuttiness on the finish. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
The Ronco del Gelso 2005 Tocai Friulano has been micro-oxygenated.
We then blended Wines 1 and 2 in roughly equal quantities. This produced a wine with a more complex nose and that on the palate was much better than the sum of its parts. The Ribolla lacks the acidity of the Tocai, but adds richness, producing a more robust wine. It’s difficult to score a wine you’ve created in a rather unscientific way yourself, but were it presented to me, I’d probably give it 91-92/100
Wine 3 was a wine made as a 50:50 blend of Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano: 2005 Bianco Sesto, La Tunella. This wine was fermented in large (30 hl) oak barrels, without any malolactic fermentation. A bright, lemony straw colour. On the nose there are some apple notes from the ribolla and some peach from the tocai along with just a hint of honey: very attractive and fairly rich. The attack is lovely and fresh. This is very clean on the palate with a good body. Very smooth and easy, but with complex and elegant layers. There is some lovely fruit on the palate. Excellent. 93/100
The wine made as a blend exhibits much of the character of mixing the glass of ribolla and the glass of tocai friulano, but is altogether more integrated and together, with better balance than the hand-made version.
Wine 4: 2005 Pinot Bianco, Princic Doro
This wine has a pale yellow straw appearance. The nose is creamy with floral blossom and agrumes. Rich and very attractive on the palate. A bit simple overall, but very attractive and floral. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
Wine 5: 2005 Malvasia Istriana, Villa Russiz
This has a very bright straw colour. The nose is fabulous with loads and loads
of superb highly aromatic floral notes and some talcy minerality. There are
fresh, delicate flavours on the palate, but with a creamy backbone alongside
fine acidity. Very elegant, characterful finish with great length. Excellent.
95/100
In the next glass, we constructed a more or less equal blend of wines 2, 4 and 5 (the Tocai Friulano, the Pinot Bianco and the Malvasia). The nose seems slightly muted with lots of elegant honeysuckle and citrus. Very interesting and complex on the palate with lots of layers. Rich and spicy on the finish. This is nowhere near as smooth, silky and integrated as Wine 6, the wine made as a blend of these three varieties, and seems slightly less successful than the ‘handmade’ ribolla-tocai mix. Call it 89/100.
Wine 6: 2005 Fossaria, Ronco dei Tassi
The pinot bianco was fermented in oak, while the tocai and the malvasia were
fermented in stainless steel. It has an oaky peachy nose, just a bit too heavy
on the oak. Super palate: full, combining elegance and power. Silky smooth and
very integrated for a wine so young. Lovely flavours combine fruit, richness
and acidity. Very balanced. Utterly enormous length. Excellent. 94/100
This was a very interesting workshop, and it was quite exciting to see how the character of the blends reflected, and then built on the component wines – and also how small variations of the quantities could change the style of the resulting blend quite dramatically. It would have been nice to have had much more time (and more wine and more glasses) to do further experimentation, and to have been able to do it with a more scientific approach. The quality of the single varietal wines stood out as very high indeed, though the wines made as blends were not merely a useful control to my own efforts, but also showed for me that the blends are one of the real strengths of Friulan winemaking.
Other wines tasted
I also had the opportunity to taste a number of white wines from Friulan producers and to meet the producers.
Borgo San Daniele
The Azienda Agricola Borgo San Daniele is based at Cormòns on the border of
the DOC areas of Collio and Isonzo. In the vineyard, the vines are densely
planted and yields are kept low; they encourage grass cover in the vineyards and
carry out thorough green harvesting. In the winery, all their wines (red and
white) are macerated on the skins, then undergo malolactic fermentation,
followed by long periods on the lees and micro-oxygenation with ageing in
various sizes of vats and barrels, before being bottled unfiltered. They
release only four wines: three whites and one red: a Tocai Friulano, a Pinot
Grigio, a white blend Arbis Blanc and a red Cabernet Sauvignon-Pignolo blend,
Arbis Ros.
I tasted the 2004 Arbis Blanc, Mauri Vignaioli, Vin di
Territori, Borgo San Daniele, IGT Venezia Giulia, 13.5%
This is a blend of tocai friulano, chardonnay, pinot bianco and sauvignon. In
Friulan arbis means grass, and the name picks up on the grass growing between
the rows of vines, which they believe helps to mitigate the negative effects on
the soil of the modern monoculture of the vineyard, and also to reduce the
vigour of the vine. The four varieties are crushed and fermented together.
The wine has quite a scented, open, floral nose with some melony notes. Rich
and pure on the palate. It has very good depth and loads of character. Very
Good Indeed/Excellent 92/100
Tenuta Ca’ Bolani
www.cabolani.it
Here I tasted another blend, the 2003 Opimio, Tenuta Ca’
Bolani, IGT Venezia Giulia, 13%
This is a 50:50 blend of chardonnay and tocai friulano. The chardonnay vines
are on average 9 years old, the tocai friulano around 10 years old. The grapes
are cold macerated at 5ºC in an inert atmosphere for 24 hours, followed by long,
slow fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel. The wine is then
matured on its lees for seven months in stainless steel.
It has a lovely spicy nose with rich, elegant citrussy fruit and a hint of
rolling tobacco. Lovely palate with great balance and finesse and lots of
excellent character. There is good acidity to balance the palate, but it comes
to the fore on the finish, helping to keep it very refreshing. Excellent.
94/100
Azienda Agricola Ca’ Ronesca
www.caronesca.it
The Ca’ Ronesca estates extend to more than 250 acres between the villages of
Lonzano and Ipplis, the 140 acres of vineyards falling into the DOC regions of
Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli.
2005 Tocai Friulano, Ca’Ronesca, DOC Collio
Yields are kept low. The grapes undergo a short maceration before fermentation
in stainless steel, followed by five months maturing on its lees. Drink to
2008/9.
This has a whiff of cloves and lemon on the nose. Fairly light on the palate.
A bit dull and uninteresting, with a touch of harshness after. Good. 83/100
2004 Sauvignon Podere di Ipplis, Ca’ Ronesca, DOC Collio
The grapes, grown around Ipplis of course, are harvested in the early morning
away from the heat of the day and vinified with as limited an exposure to oxygen
as possible. Drink to 2008/9.
A rather muted sauvignon blanc nose, fairly fruity. Fresh and crisp palate with
good green fruits. This is a fairly typical Friui version of sauvignon blanc.
Very Good+. 88/100
2005 Ribolla Gialla, Ca’ Romesca, DOC Collio
The vineyard for this ribolla gialla is situated in Cime, on a site exposed to
the wind. The vineyard is terraced to cope with the steep hillside. After a
short maceration, the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless
steel tanks, and then the wine matures on its lees for five months. Drink to
2008/9
Unfortunately, this was a bit over-chilled, but a floral, minty nose was
evident, with some rather zesty lemon notes. Fresh and full on the palate with
good balance and nice acidity. Very pleasant. Very Good. 88/100
Azienda Agricola Muzic
www.cantinamuzic.it
The Azienda Agricola Muzic, currently owned by Giovanni Muzic, is based in San
Floriano del Collio, about 5km from Gorizia. The Muzic family have been
producing wine since 1960 from hillside vineyards: they have ten hectares in the
DOC Collio region and a further two hectares in the neighbouring DOC Friuli
Isonzo. Giovanni personally manages all stages of production. The winery is
equipped with stainless steel tanks with a fixed cooling system, cement tanks
and barriques. Annual production is in the region of 500 to 600 hectolitres per
year, accounting for around 80,000 bottles. They make a range of red and white
wines. The following three whites were available for tasting today:
2005 Chardonnay, Muzic, DOC Collio, 13.5%
A strikingly slatey chardonnary nose with fruit and lots of mineral stones.
Lovely attack. Fresh and clean with very good acidity. This is a good, full,
very pure chardonnay with some very interesting character. Very Good Indeed+.
93/100
2005 Pinot Grigio, Muzic, DOC Collio, 13%
A slightly muddy pinot grigio nose that’s rather muted. Good and enjoyable on
the palate, this is a very good wine, but for me does not seem to be one of the
best Friuli pinot grigios. Very Good. 87/100
2005 Sauvignon, Muzic, DOC Collio, 13.5%
Green peas and lettuce on the nose. Very good palate. Fresh and very clean
with very good fruit. Not too green. Nice style and balance. Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
Azienda Agricola Paraschos Evangelos
As the name suggests, this estate is owned and run by a Greek family – all
the more remarkable that, as I found out when I tasted their wines, they have
really embraced Friulan philosophies and techniques and make very traditional
Friuli whites.
The estate was founded in 1998 at the heart of the DOC Collio zone, in San
Floriano del Collio. They currently have a mere 5 hectares of vineyards: the
white varieties (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, tocai friulano, pinot grigio and
ribolla) are grown on the Collo hills (San Floriano, Oslavia, Gradisciutta),
while they have some merlot growing around Sant’Andrea and Lucinico near Gorizia.
The vineyards are cultivated biodynamically and, from 2003, no sulphur is used
whatsoever. I tasted two vintages of their white riserva blend:
2002 Collio Bianco Riserva, Paraschos, DOC Collio,
13.75%
A blend of 50% sauvignon with chardonnay, ribolla, malvasia, picolit, verduzzo
and pinot bianco. The grapes underwent a 72-hour maceration followed by
fermentation and then two years ageing in 5-hectolitre tonni. The wine
was not clarified, but was lightly filtered and was released onto the market
after a further 12 months ageing in bottle. 4000 bottles were produced in 2002.
This has a very traditional, slightly oxidised feel to the nose with good
fruit. Very good, silky palate. Very refined and elegant, yet with huge
power. Builds and builds into a massive finish. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2003 Collio Bianco Riserva, Paraschos, DOC Collio,
13.71%
Again a blend of 50 sauvignon, with chardonnay, ribolla, malvasia, picolit,
verduzzo and pinot bianco making up the rest of the blend. The grapes underwent
a 7-day maceration, followed by fermentation and 24 months ageing in 20-25
hectolitre botti. Bottled unfiltered and unclarified and then aged for a
further eight months in bottle before being released onto the market in spring
2006. 4000 bottles were produced in 2003.
A lovely coppery colour, that’s clearly unfiltered. The nose is rich, drying
and feels slightly oxidised, with much fruit than the 2002 – fairly tropical
fruit. Really nice on the palate. Very citrussy, yet also almost marmalade-y
too. Huge finesse in an odd sort of way. Excellent. 94/100
Azienda Agricola Picéch Roberto, “Le
Vigne del Ribel”
www.picech.com
The Picéch vineyards are located in Pradis, a small hill village near Cormons.
The Picéch family have farmed the land and made wine since 1920, but only
bought the land in the 1960s. They own a total of 4.5 hectares and rent a
further 2.5 hectares of vineyards, all in the DOC Collio. They make seven
different wines: a tocai friulano, a malvasia istriana, a pinot bianco, a blend
(“Jelka”), and two Bordeaux blend reds, one of which is a riserva; finally they
produce a sweet wine, a passito made from malvasia istriana. Total annual
production is in the region of 28,000 bottles.
2005 Malvasia Istriana, Picéch, DOC Collio, 14%
2,500 bottles were produced and released onto the market in
June 2006. The vines cover some 0.6 hectares and were planted in 1975. The
grapes underwent a 24-hour maceration, followed by temperature-controlled
fermentation in stainless steel. The wine was aged for six months on its lees
in stainless steel for about six months before bottling in May 2006.
This has a really attractive nose with citrus fruit and a hint of cordite and
flint. It has a smooth, velvety palate, with lovely flavours. Rich and full,
this is hugely attractive stuff and a very impressive wine. This would make a
good aperitif, and would also work well with a plate of the local San Daniele
prosciutto and maybe even a foie gras terrine, though it’s not a sweet wine, but
just has very good ripeness. Excellent. 96/100
2005 Pinot Bianco, Picéch, DOC Collio, 14%
The grapes, from vines planted in 1970 and 1993 covering just under a hectare.
The grapes were harvested mid September 2005, destemmed and macerated for 18
hours. Temperature controlled fermentation follows and the wine is left on its
lees for around six month in stainless steel, before being bottled in May 2006.
4,000 bottles were produced and went on sale in June 2006.
A very rich gold. The nose is aromatic and elegant. Good balance on the
palate. There is a bit of a feel of oxidation on the palate, but it isn’t
oxidised. Has a lovely richness. Very Good Indeed. 91/100
2004 Tocai Friulano, Picéch, DOC Collio, 13.5%
Picéch have some 2.3 hectares planted with tocai friulano, planted in 1966 and
1997.
This has a fabulous nose – minerally, tropical fruit and very aromatic. Very
interesting on the palate with lots of weight. Rich, yet elegant. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100.
2005 Tocai Friulano, Picéch, DOC Collio, 13.5%
Picéch have some 2.3 hectares planted with tocai friulano, planted in 1966 and
1997. The grapes were harvested at the end of September 2005, destemmed and
macerated for 8 days before pressing. Aged in a mixture of stainless steel and
botti on its lees for around six months before bottling in May 2006.
4,500 bottles were produced, released for sale in June 2006.
This has a much more muted nose than the 2004. Fresh and much, much lighter
than the 2004. Much more delicate than the 2004. Good. 84/100
2004 Bianco “Jelka”, Picéch, DOC Collio, 13.5%
This is a blend of ribolla gialla, tocai friulano and malvasia istriana. The
name Jelka refers to the winemaker’s mother, Jelka Sirk (Jelka is the Slovenian
equivalent of Gabriella) to whom the wine is dedicated. The grapes were
harvested at the end of September and in early October 2004. The ribolla gialla
and tocai friulano were destemmed and macerated for 8 days without temperature
control and left to ferment using only natural yeasts. The malvasia was
macerated for only 30 hours before fermentation and ageing in old barriques and
botti. After seven months the wine is blended. 6000 bottles and 3000
magnums were produced.
This has a gorgeous nose with really lovely delicate fruit but with a great
weight and power behind. Lovely, impressive palate. Very complex and
multi-layered. Excellent. 94/100
Azienda Agricola Isidoro Polencic
www.polencic.com
2005 Pinot Grigio, Isidoro Polencic, DOC Collio, 13.5%
Made entirely in stainless steel. The vineyards are between 10 and 25 years
old. A really nice nose that feels more Alsatian than is usual in Friuli. Rich
and full, with absolutely beautiful fruit on the finish. Very Good Indeed.
92/100
2005 Tocai Friulano, Isidoro Polencic, DOC Collio,
13.5%
The grapes, from vineyards that are between 20 and 30 years old, are cold
macerated for about 12 hours, followed by gentle pressing and
temperature-controlled fermentation, before maturation, 80% in stainless steel
vats and 20% in oak vats.
Blossomy apple and peach on the nose. A bit hard on the palate. Rather lean
and unimpressive. OK/Good. 82/100
2005 Sauvignon, Isidoro Polencic, DOC Collio, 13.5%
The grapes, from vines planted around 15 years ago, are cold macerated for 12
hours, followed by temperature controlled fermentation. Stainless steel only is
used throughout.
This has the usual Friulan rich sauvignon nose. Full on the palate with nice
balance. Very good finish with great length. Very Good+. 87/100
Azienda Agricola Dario Raccaro
2005 Tocai Friulano, Raccaro, DOC Collio
A very aromatic nose. Good balanced palate. Perhaps a bit heavy-handed. Very
Good. 86/100
2005 Collio Bianco, Raccaro, DOC Collio
This is a blend of tocai friulano, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc. It has a
somewhat musky nose. Much better on the apalte. Full and rounded with very
good balance. Nice complexity. Very good finish. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2005 Malvasia, Raccaro, DOC Collio
Rich, yet very floral on the nose. with nice round notes. Very open, fresh
palate with lots of floral flavours. Lovely fruit. Lovely balance. Very Good
Indeed. 90/100
Ronco dei Pini
www.roncodeipini.com
The Ronco dei Pini estate lies in Prepotto in Friuli’s eastern hills close to
the border with Slovenia and Collio Goriziano. Angelo Novello and his three
sons bought the property from Count Rieppi of Prepotto around fourty years ago.
In 1990, Vito Novello bought his brothers’ shares and set up Ronco dei Pini.
The new company, which derived its name from the ancient pine grove at the top
of the hill, marked an initiative to improve quality. In 1997 Vito, was joined
in the business by his sons, Giuseppe and Claudio. The vineyards cover 14
hectares in the hills between Prepotto and Spesso di Cividale in the Colli
Orientali del Friuli. They make a full range of wines, including a Verduzzo
Passito that goes under the name of Riccovino; Limes (a red Bordeaux blend);
Leucos (a blend of pinot bianco, tocai friulano and verduzzo) along with single
variety cabernet, merlot, tocai friulano, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio,
chardonnay and pinot bianco.
2005 Pinot Grigio, Ronco dei Pini, DOC Collio, 13.5%
The grapes, from a vineyard in Prepotto, are hand-harvested, crushed and
macerated at 12ºC-13ºC for 12-14 hours. Fermentation takes place in temperature
controlled stainless steel and in French (Alliers) oak barriques until March.
A light, gently spicy tropical fruit nose. Good, fruity attack. Lots of
structure on the palate with a fine acidity. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
2005 Tocai Friulano, Ronco dei Pini, DOC Collio,
13.5%
The grapes, from a vineyard in Prepotto, are hand-harvested, crushed and
macerated at 12ºC-13ºC for 12-14 hours. Fermentation takes place in temperature
controlled stainless steel and in French (Alliers) oak barriques until March.
This has an elegant creamy nose with some stone fruit. Light attack, but lovely
and full on the palate. Excellent length. Very Good Indeed+. 92/100
2005 Chardonnay, Ronco dei Pini, DOC Collio, 13.5%
The grapes, from a vineyard in Plessiva, are hand-harvested, crushed and
macerated at 12ºC-13ºC for 12-14 hours. Fermentation takes place in temperature
controlled stainless steel (85%) and in new French (Alliers) oak barriques (15%)
until March.
A muted, buttery, blossomy nose. Super palate. Very enjoyable. Very Good
Indeed. 89/100
Azienda Agricola Roncús
www.roncus.it
2004 Roncús Bianco
This is a blend of tocai friulano, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc. In the
winery it has light skin contact, fermentation with native yeats at 22-24ºC in
steel and wood, and then bottled after 18 months.
A rich citrussy, floral nose with a touch of raisins. Quite a smoky richness on
the palate with very rounded, utterly balanced flavours. So rounded and
balanced that you could hardly call it fruity. Ripe and rich flavours. Very
Good Indeed. 90/100
Azienda Agricola Roberto Scubla
www.scubla.com
Scubla are a small company, producing around 60,000 bottles a year, located in
the DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli zone.
2004 Pomèdes, Scubla, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli
This is a blend of 60% pinot bianco, 30% tocai friulano and 10% riesling,
harvested when over-ripe and fermented in barriques. It is then aged in new
barriques for 8 months, and, after assemblage, aged for 4 months in stainless
steel. It has a somewhat closed nose. Lovely palate. This is made in quite an
old fashioned style, but doesn’t go too far that way. Excellent balance. Very
Good Indeed. 89/100
2003 Cràtis, Scubla, DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli,
13%, 190 g/l residual sugar; 6.5 g/l acidity.
This is made from 100% Verduzzo grapes, one of the most tannic of white grapes,
that have been air dried during November and December. The grapes are then
pressed and the must is fermented in wood, where it continues to mature for two
years. On average, a mere 3000 half bottles are produced each year.
A rich orange colour. The nose is remarkably delicate. Lovely palate; very
elegant. Delicately sweet with huge acidity and gentle drying tannins which
both balance the sweetness. Very Good Indeed. 89/100
This article first appeared in Tom Cannavan's wine-pages.
For more notes from organised tastings of Friuli wines, see here.
Back to Andrew Stevenson's web page
Last updated: 10 July 2007