Pighin makes this in Friuli Grave, the flat gravel plain between the Alps and the Adriatic where Friuli-Venezia Giulia's white wines begin. It is a blend rather than a single variety: Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, picked in 2019 and fermented dry.
- Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay — three grapes, one wine.
- Friuli Grave DOC, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-east Italy.
- 2019 vintage, 12.5% alcohol.
- Dry, high acidity, low tannin, medium body.
- 750ml bottle.
How it is made
Friuli Grave is named for the gravelly soils the rivers carried down from the mountains, ground that drains fast and stresses the vines into ripening small, concentrated crops. The three varieties are vinified separately as dry whites, then blended. Friulano brings the backbone, Sauvignon Blanc the aromatics, Chardonnay the roundness in the middle.
How it tastes
Green apple and citrus first, then white peach, and a bitter almond note that arrives at the end and stays. The acidity is high and the body is medium, so it reads lean and fresh rather than soft. A mineral, stony thread runs underneath, which is the gravel plain showing through.
Good to know
Friulano was long known as Tocai Friulano, and the name was given up in 2007 after a ruling in Brussels over its similarity to Hungarian Tokaji. Growers in Friuli had used it for centuries. The grape is now labelled simply Friulano, and it remains the region's signature white.
Contains alcohol.
