Le Due Terre Colli Orientali del Friuli Sacrisassi 2007
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Parker
Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Sacrisassi Bianco (Friulano, Ribolla Gialla) is a fat, unctuous wine loaded with ripe peaches, flowers, minerals and apricots. This is an unusually rich and exotic white from Friuli. It is impossible not to admire the wine's textural volume and sheer personality. The Sacrisassi Bianco is fermented in small French oak barrels with a brief maceration on the skins and subsequently aged in French oak for about 22 months prior to bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012.
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2005-
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Flavio is a sort of avant-garde traditionalist. He wants to keep alive the varietals and the ancient methods but he’s perfectly aware of the necessity of refinement and complexity required by today’s wine drinkers. For him originality and terroir are a real challenge and his winemaking approach is simply, ’less is better’. That’s why he prefers not to rack the wines if unnecessary, preferring the action of the lees and oxygen to any intrusive manipulation. He doesn’t want to produce monsters, but human and natural wines that reflect the site, the vintage, the history and the ambition of a long ageing potential. They produces two blends of Sacrissassi wines, form the sacred stones that are blends of the indigenous varietals if the ancient area near Udine called Prepotto.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
The source of some of Italy’s best and most distinctive white wines, Friuli-Venezia Giulia is where Italian, Germanic and Slavic cultures converge. The styles of wines produced in this region of Italy's far north-east reflect this merging of cultures. Often shortened to just “Friuli,” the area is divided into many distinct subzones, including Friuli Grave, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Collio Goriziano and Carso. The flat valley of Friuli Grave is responsible for a large proportion of the region’s wine production, particularly the approachable Pinot grigio and the popular Prosecco. The best vineyard locations are often on hillsides, as in Colli Orientali del Friuli or Collio. In general, Friuli boasts an ideal climate for viticulture, with warm sunny days and chilly nights, which allow grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
In Colli Orientali, the specialty is crisp, flavorful white wine made from indigenous varieities like Friulano (formerly known as Tocai Friulano), Ribolla gialla and Malvasia Istriana.
Red wines, though far less common here, can be quite good, especially when made from the deeply colored, rustic Refosco variety. In Collio Goriziano, which abutts Slovenia, many of the same varieties are planted. International varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc are also common, but they tend to be Loire-like in style with herbaceous character and mellow tannins. Carso’s star grape is the red Teranno, notable for being rich in iron content and historically consumed for health purposes. It has an earthy, meaty profile and is often confused with the distinct variety Refosco.