Wine Region: Friuli

(2025) From a vintage where hail removed many leaves early in the season, and subsequently delayed ripening and harvest by a couple of weeks. It is also, at 12.5%, a half or one degree lower than is typical. Attractive pale yellow into gold colour. The nose suggests lemon and straw, a little herbal note, reminding me of caraway or fennel. In the mouth it is relatively light, but has substantial presence, quite a chewy extract character and persistent acidity, but there is silkiness to the texture and a lovely, fresh and long finish. Not released at time of review, and price and stockist quoted is for a previous vintage.

(2025) From a single, 99-year-old vineyard planted in 1926, this was the first production of this wine, and it will be made only in the best years. Maceration is on the skins for 15 days in oak, followed by two years of ageing in tonneaux. Bottled in summer 2023. The colour is burnished gold. The nose suggests aged Sauternes perhaps, nutty with sesame seeds and a hint of barley sugar and fig. In the mouth this is bone-dry and has great intensity. A great core of acidity, lip-tingling spices, acid and some tannin gives this real presence. It's a remarkable wine, another layer of sweet vanilla flavour almost reminding me of Jack Daniels, but it is dry with an earthy richness and grip. Very individual, intriguing and a true vin de méditation. Price and stockist quoted at time of review is for a previous vintage.

(2025) Some of Tenuta Stella's Merlot has been identified as very old vines, so was selected for a special Riserva bottling, fermented in barriques and aged three years in new French oak barriques. Dark crimson colour. Blood-streaked plummy nose, with that little bit of Italian plum tomato leafiness. Deep, fudge-like and vanilla characters underpin the fruit. Grippy and serious on the palate, there is a leathery concentration, mouth-coating fine tannins and plenty of spice. Chewy, the acidity tingling on the lips, but I think this will benefit from a few more years in bottle. About to be released, so no price or UK stockist at time of review.

(2022) From cousins of the famous Anselmi family, this is 100% Ribolla Gialla with fruit from the Veneto and Friuli, and is made in a Prosecco style. It's Extra Dry, so has up to 17g/l of residual sugar. It's very pear-like, juicy and nicely balanced by fine apple acidity. I don't find the Ribolla Gialla makes a huge difference from Prosecco's Glera, but it's a well-made Spumante with a hint of complexity.

(2022) A blend of 50% Friulano with Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia and Chardonnay, from vineyards in Friuli. Fresh and fragrant, some little herb and nutty nuances, there is more Gewurztraminer influence on the palate perhaps, quite textural and a touch exotic, with a lovely balance of sweet fruit and cleansing acidity into quite a long finish.

(2019) From Gravner's pre-amphora period, made in big barrels with seven days skin contact. Also the first year Josko was searching for Botrytis in his grapes. Gorgeous nose, with honey and sesame seeds, a definite sense of sweetness and the latent vibrancy of the fruit - the Sauvignon and Riesliing - still discernable, juicy citrus to finish. A big change of pace from the amphora wines, lots of punchy fruit, touched with caramel and coffee but a marvellous wine.

(2019) From the pre-amphora period, made in a mix of 80% new and older barriques. No skin contact. Plenty of orange and even peachiness, a little bit of age showing, a touch of oxidation, but the colour still so youthful. The waxy, old parcel string and brown paper quality is intriguing and there is genuine fruit sweetness at the core of this still. Perhaps not in perfect condition, but still very good.

(2019) As a wine that *could* have come from a top Burgundy appellation, it is probably the more 'international' style that Josko later rejected, but he pulled out a bottle to show me and I thought - viewed objectively - it was stull a fabulous wine. It has a buttercup yellow into light gold colour. It is very much Chardonnay, very much Burgundian, with some creamy hazelnut and almond over buttery but clean and so pure custardy apple fruit, delightful pastry notes of the delicate oak. Hugely sweet fruit on the palate, deliciously medium-bodied, with gorgeous spices and toast into the finish, the crisp lemon acidity and those delicate but sweet fruit flavours beautifully balanced.

(2019) Showing a rather more rotty, aged character, more oxidation, certainly seems to have aged more, but still plenty of interest here, plenty of quality, with massive lemon pith and grapefruit zesty acidity, it still has length and tang, but not entirely convincing at this age.

(2019) An extraordinary Vino de Tavola, Ribolla harvested on Sunday 23rd November 2008, Thursday 12th November 2009 and Friday 15th November 2010, all Botrytis grapes. Not destemmed or crushed, aged in old barriques. Burnished tawny gold, laden with honey and mocha, apricot and touches of bergamot and clove. Such lovely warmth and spice about this, but an intense fruitiness too. Gorgeous slippery texture and intense sweetness, with a cherry tang to the acidity, and that salty note adding lovely freshness along with the definition of the acidity. 126g/l of sugar and only 1200 bottles made which, a few Italian merchants are still offering at around €400 per bottle (use wine-searcher link).