Fantinel Tenuta Sant'Helena Friulano 2018
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James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Dynamic white with citrine glints, with delicate hints of white blossom and almond and a smooth, slightly bitter mouthfeel.This is the quintessential Friuli wine, part of the history of the region.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Quite a reductive friulano with white pepper, grassy undertones and citrus. Vivacious and quite light with edgy acidity and plenty of green-apple flavors.
Other Vintages
2015-
James
Suckling
Fantinel was founded in 1969, when restaurateur and hotelier, Paron Mario Fantinel, acquired his first vineyards in the Collio area of northern Friuli. With now the third generation represented by Marco, Stefano, and Mariaelena, what started as a small agricultural company has become an internationally prestigious winery and ambassador of Friulian wine-making throughout the world. The philosophy of Fantinel is to employ passion, tradition, and innovation through a close bond with the origins and ancestral wisdom of Friuli, producing wines that embrace excellence and offer real emotions that convey the authenticity of the land.
Fantinel comprises a stunning lineup: beautiful sparkling wines, Borgo Tesis, the distinct estate of Tenuta Sant’Helena, and the crown jewel La Roncaia. Gaining success in over 90 countries at top-level, prestigious restaurants and specialized shops, Fantinel’s rapidly growing success is confirmed by remarkable reviews received by international press.
With over 300 hectares of vineyards divided into the renowned DOC Grave, Prosecco, and Collio zones, these unique terroirs and privileged areas with microclimates are ideal for the best maturation of the fruits and the highest expression of each vine variety, especially the valuable indigenous grapes. In addition, the Fantinel concept of wine-making includes the investments in cutting-edge technological solutions bolstering production with an environmentally sustainable approach — from the revolutionary fertilisation-irrigation system and the clonal selections in laboratory, to the advanced system of thermoregulation of steel tanks and the immense propriety of precious wood barrels. Fantinel’s “a-viticulture” features vines that grow according to natural rhythms, on the basis of the respect of the plant vegetative cycle and balance, giving birth to rich fruits and, naturally, to majestic wines.
Thriving in the NE Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia near the border of Slovenia, Friulano makes a uniquely high-pitched and vibrant white with a delicate perfume. Extensive in the area by the early 1930s, today Friulano grows in all of the best zones and is usually, but not always, bottled as a single-varietal wine. Somm Secret— The Friulano grown today, while named for its present home of Friuli, is actually the Sauvignonasse grape, a minor cultivar that came from Bordeaux.
Collio is a crescent-shaped sub region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia that hugs right up against the Slovenian border. It is perfectly situated for growing wine grapes, especially of the white variety.
The Julian Alps to Collio’s north allow the influx of cool, nighttime breezes, while the Adriatic Sea to its south regulates the region’s temperatures. The area contains flysch soils,locally known as, ponca, a layered, sedimentary rock that formed millions of years ago as continents collided under the sea. Today the flysch soils that dominate the hills of Collio provide an interesting substrate for vine roots, with measurable mineral variations within small areas. The fractured layers of flysch soils also facilitate drainage and deepening of vine roots.
The region boasts a unique set of indigenous white varieties including Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia and the rare, Picolit. International whites—Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon (Blanc) and Chardonnay—have also been in the area for well over 100 years. Today Collio is often associated with crisp, clean, floral and fruity whites. But in recent years, there has been a resurgence in popularity of the ancient Slovenian style of fermenting white grapes on their skins. This process retains additonal colors and phenols, producing a complex finished wine with an orange hue, warranting the term, "orange wines."
Reds are far less common but the indigenous Pignolo makes an age-worthy red, and the international varieties Merlot and Cabernet grow here as well.