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November 4, 2006
Friuli Alert
As those of you who know me well are aware, I am addicted to the whites of Friuli-Venezi-Giulia. These can be broken into several categories:
1. The floral, aromatic, refreshing Tocai Friulanos (I refuse to acknowledge that the EU has stolen the name from Friuli) and Pinot Grigios. These are mostly products of stainless steel and have a very nice crispness to them. They were born for hot days and Asian foods. Felluga, Russiz Superiore, Jermann (with an excellent Pinot Grigio), etc. come to mind.
2. The brilliant, almost French blends. Nothing epitomizes these better than Jermann's delightful, smooth, complex and unforgettable Vintage Tunina.
3. The "amber" whites-These rely heavily on the ancient ribolla gialla grape. They are usually barrel- and wood vat-driven, but have emerged from many fermenting mediums (including Roman-style amphorae!). The produce intense, structured whites with layers of complexity. This category immediately draws the mind to the dean of this vein of winemaking in Friuli, Josko Gravner. These wines, and among them Gravner's in particular, age forever and ever and ever. My brother-in-law Man (a chef) describes Gravner's Breg as a heavenly collision between a structured and intense high-end white Burgundy and a great sherry (perhaps a nice Andalusian Amontillado).
This post is concerned with the third vein (the "amber" wave). To drink, for instance, Gravner's Breg on some lazy Sunday afternoon in the fall while seated in a plush leather chair (with feet kicked up on the ottoman, of course), reading a good book and listening to a really accomplished rendition of Beethoven's Pastoral is pretty much as close to heaven as you can get in this life.
The trouble of course is that the bottle of Breg cost 5 to 10 percent of the purchase price of that leather chair and ottoman (even if said chair and ottoman are from Eames or the like).
So the question becomes, how can one get close to the Gravner experience at less than the Gravner price?
Unfortunately, most other Friulian ribolla gialla's I've tried do not even make base camp on Mt. Gravner. Nonetheless, there are some intriguing alternatives out there.
In the past, I've mentioned the name Damijan. He was, I believe, at one point or another something like a student of Gravner (for as long as one can stand being in the titanic shadow of such an artistic genious). His wines are perhaps a bit less structured and complex than Gravner's but are still a quantum leap beyond most other whites. And I've found Damijan for as cheap as $30 a bottle.
Now I'd like to place another name in the reader's conciousness: Radikon. Last night I tried Radikon's 2002 Ribolla Gialla. It was, like the typical Damijan, magnificent. A 500ml bottle came in at $36.50 (so in 750ml terms Radikon is operating around the $50 price point).
It needs some time to open up. I think decanting for 30 to 60 minutes is a good idea. Once it does, several complex layers typical of this style emerge on the nose: honey; slightly bitter apples; apple juice; a pleasantly clean hint of hay. I'm still thinking about the palate experience, but certainly some of these emerged and the taste was, to be sure, delightful. Radikon also has great length. I drank a bottle with the wife while watching Amadeus and munching on a smoked salmon pate with water crackers and have to say that I enjoyed the entire experience.
In the more slavic corners of Friuli's wine world, exciting things are happening and you might want to take note.
Posted by dag at November 4, 2006 11:29 AM