Torre Rosazza farms in the Colli Orientali, and this Sauvignon Blanc comes from the other Friulian hills, the flat gravel plain of Friuli Grave DOC between the Tagliamento and the Isonzo. The soils are the story: stones and pebbles washed down by the rivers, poor and free-draining, which keeps yields low and the fruit concentrated. It is Sauvignon Blanc grown where the grape is treated as a serious white rather than an afterthought.
- Sauvignon Blanc, the only grape here.
- Friuli Grave DOC, Friuli Venezia Giulia, north east Italy.
- 2024 vintage, the current release.
- 12% alcohol, dry, light bodied.
- High acidity, low tannin.
How it is made
Friuli Grave DOC covers a broad gravel plain, and the rules allow a range of varieties, but the whites are picked early to hold their acidity. The gravel drains fast and warms quickly in the day, then gives the heat back at night, so the grapes ripen slowly and keep their aromatic edge. Fermentation is cool and in stainless steel, which is why the fruit stays sharp and the variety reads clearly.
How it tastes
Intense and aromatic from the first pour: sage, elderflower and nettle, with pineapple and green apple underneath and a citrus lift. There is a mineral, stony thread through it that comes straight off those gravel soils. Full in the mouth for a light wine, fresh and long, with the herbal note carrying through to the finish.
Good to know
Friuli Venezia Giulia is the part of Italy that borders Slovenia and Austria, and its white wines have been compared to the best of the Loire and Alsace for decades. The region grows a lot of Sauvignon Blanc, but the Friuli Grave plain is the cooler, stonier half of it, which is why the wines keep this much acidity and this much green in them.
