Winery: Le Vigne di Zamò
Region: Friuli
Locale: Manzano, Italy
Appellation: Colli Orientali del Friuli
Designation: DOC

Site: Estate vineyards in eastern Friuli.

Grapes: 100% Friulano

Fermentation and Aging: Thirty percent of the fruit is cold soaked for 48 hours. Alcoholic fermentation is in temperature controlled stainless steel. The wine stays in contact with the gross lees for 10 months, undergoes 50% malolactic fermentation and is racked just once. The two lots are kept separate until June when the final blending and bottling takes place.

Notes: Simply beautiful white wine. Graceful on the nose and palate, with smokey-spicy notes I always attribute to very fine Friulano. It should be noted that the grape was commonly called “Tocai Friulano” or simply “Tocai” until just recently (2007 or thereabouts) when the European Union in all its wisdom decided that the real Tokay was the Hungarian version, and that all other wines known as “Tocai” or “Tokay” must forevermore have another name. Hence the Friulian version’s characterization as simply “Friulano”. It should also be noted that in neighboring Slovenia, also a great zone for this grape, producers have literally turned things around on the EU, calling their wine “Yakot” or “Iakot”. (It should be further noted that the wine is NOT sweet and has nothing to do with Hungarian Tokaji, which is primarily made with the Hungarian grape “Furmint”.) About 15,200 bottles produced.

Vintage: 2011