I love my sauv blancs, so food friendly and versatile. And nice to sip on their own too! This one is pale in color with a mild nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some nice, crisp, dry, citrus notes along with some nice green grassyness. The wine has some lovely mouth grip and the dryness lingers beautifully. I quite enjoyed this one. Available on private order from Heirloon Vine Imports for $27.10 a bottle, by the case. I would give it an 88 or so.
From the winery’s web site:
Sauvignon 2017
WHITE WINE | D.O.C. Friuli Colli Orientali VINEYARD.
Grapes used: Sauvignon blanc grapes from Italian and French clones. This is a vine of French origin, grown in the Eastern Hills of Friuli region since the nineteenth century where it has found the ideal environment to best express the elegant aroma typical of this wine variety.
Position: the hills of the Sottomonte Estate in the municipality of Buttrio (Udine), with their fantastic landscape, provide an ideal wine country for excellent wine making. The C.D.O. (controlled denomination of origin) area is the Colli Orientali del Friuli (Eastern Hills of Friuli). Exposure is north.
Terrain: hill and foothill area, soil composed of marl and sandstone with a predominantly clayey component.
Training system: Sylvotz and double bending canes (called cappuccina).
Traditional training techniques in Friuli, optimised for quality production through reduced vine vigour and a lower number of buds.
Phytosanitary crop protection: low environmental impact focussing on traditional products with a short persistence, distributed according to the agroalimentary programme for crop protection.
CELLAR:
Harvesting: manual harvesting by a qualified, suitably trained workforce from the second ten days in September with selection of the best grapes in the field and fast transfer to the cellar.
Vinification method: white wine fermentation (without skins) with gentle pressing at low temperature under immobile covering to protect the potential quality of the grapes from oxidisation. Low temperature fermentation (14-17 °C) to help develop andpreserve the most characteristic aromas of this grape variety.
Maturation and ageing: first in a “sur lies” tank and in the bottle, stored horizontally in our sixteenth century underground cellar for at least four weeks after bottling.
WINE:
Sensory characteristics: straw yellow colour. The intense and elegant bouquet offers a wide range of sensations, from white fleshed and citrus fruits to typical bell peppers and tomato leaves, with delicate hints of elderberry and vanilla, emerging after maturation.Fine and aromatic, flavourful and velvety, the soft taste structure suggests great potential development. The persistent aftertaste features warm and balanced aromatic undertones.
Food and wine pairings: excellent served as an aperitif, with light hors d’oeuvres and first courses. Superb accompaniment to “noble” seafood such as lobster, crayfish, salmon or salty fish. Ideal with thick and thin soups, white meats and delicate cheeses.
Longevity: reaches maximum aromatic expression of the vine already in the first year and then develops with great elegance for a period of time that can easily exceed four years in the bottle.
Service: best served chilled (12 °C)
