Friuli-Venezia Giulia is not where most people look for Merlot, and that is part of the pleasure. Pighin farms in the Grave, the gravel plain that gives the Friuli Grave appellation its name, and picks the grape earlier and cooler than the Veneto or the Tuscan coast would. The result is a red with the grape's shape but not its weight.
- Merlot, the only grape in the bottle.
- Friuli Grave, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-east Italy.
- 2019, a warm year in the region.
- Dry, medium body, medium tannin and acidity.
- 13% alcohol, 750ml.
How it is made
The Grave is a broad, flat plain of gravel and sand, washed down by alpine rivers over thousands of years. The stones drain fast and hold heat, which ripens Merlot even in a region better known for white wine. Friuli Grave is a DOC, and the rules for its reds are built around freshness rather than power.
How it tastes
Red cherry and plum lead, with an earthy undertone and a green, herbal edge that comes from the cooler climate rather than from under-ripe fruit. The tannins are smooth and the whole thing stays medium in weight, finishing dry and clean. It is a Merlot that tastes like where it grew.
Good to know
Friuli-Venezia Giulia shares borders with Austria and Slovenia, and its winemaking has always looked north as much as south. Merlot arrived here in the nineteenth century and never left. In the Grave it makes something leaner and more savoury than the grape's reputation suggests, closer to the hills than to the Bordeaux it came from.
Contains alcohol.
