Are you going to Scarbolo's Friuli?

Went to a fun tasting this evening, led by Valter Scarbolo of Azienda Agricola Scarbolo. We tasted through his current offerings and had an interesting discussion on the varied terroir of Friuli. In particular, we learned that Ribolla doesn't fare well on the plains of Grave del Friuli, but thrives in the hills of Collio. He will be releasing a Schioppetino/Refosko next year, but that wasn't available for tonight. In order, we tasted.

2007 Pinot Grigio: I was pleasantly surprised to see this lightly pink wine, as most PG is not, well, pink. 80% pressing of whole clustered fruit, 20% maceration with the skins. The nose was very fresh, with pronounced sweet meadow flowers, yellow fruits and a touch of fennel. On the palate,light and clean, yellow fruit and subtle minerality, with moderate acidity and length. Valter suggested that his intent is to match the nose with the palate. Our opinions on this wine diverged then, as I felt the nose to be far more vibrant, but still a pleasant wine, much more interesting than the bog standard P.G.

2007 Pinot Grigio “Ramato”: One of two “flagship” wines, this was my WOTN. Fruit sourced from a single vineyard site (“Mattia”). Half the grapes are cold macerated and then fermented in stainless steel, while the other half is fermented on the skins. A Pinot Grigio unlike any other, perhaps? Orange hued, obvious notes of red fruit, orange peel and smoke. On the palate, more of the same, a pleasant, mouth-watering acidity which frames a viscous, full bodied wine with a sustained finish. Simply delicious.

2007 Tocai Friulano: 60% pressing of whole clusters, 30% maceration with the skins, and 10% late harvested fruit, which is further dried by 10% appassimento. Pale lemon in colour, with a floral nose flanked by apples, pears, sweet honey, and stewed tomatoes. Noticeably absent are any nut aromas. On the palate, this was a real surprise – viscous, sweet, honeyed yellow fruit, peach juice. The acidity is good, but perhaps a bit overwhelmed by the body. Very easy drinking, this wine.

2006 Sauvignon: 90% pressing of whole clusters, 10% maceration with the skins. Whitish green in colour, and to my nose, a dominant “evergreen” aroma, suggestive of all the things I dislike about New Zealand S.B. Grassy, tropical fruit and cat piss. Not my thing at all.

2006 Chardonnay: 90% pressing of whole clusters, 10% maceration with the skins, 90% fermentation in stainless steel , 10% in 225 litre French oak barriques, and 6 months aging on the lees. Pale yellow in colour, very light nose, clean, elegant, hints of lemons. Very round, sweet, with pleasant acidity, and no suggestion of oak treatment. Ripe, juicy peaches, with melon notes. A nice bitter finish, quinine and bark notes. Would drink this again.

2005 Merlot: Vinified in oak barriques with frequent daily batonnages and aged on the lees for 10 months. Restrained nose, really only with red cherries given any prominence. Elegant on the palate, sweet cherries, faint vanilla, slightly “green’ tannins. I preferred this to the “reserve” wine.

2006 Cabernet: So the name on this requires a bit of explanation, in that it is 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Vinified with the same method as the merlot, this is a food greedy wine. Leafy, vegetal nose, peppery, with red fruit. This was the wine that had the most similarity between nose and palate. Very grippy tannins, could use some time to settle, as it tended to overshadow the acidity. Would be interesting to revisit this in a few months time to gauge the progress.

2004 Merlot “Campo del Viotto”:This is the other flagship wine, and only made in select years (the previous vintage was 1999). 40% of the grapes are dried appassimento to 75% of original weight and then fermented in small oak barrels (as is the balance of the fruit). Very rich and forward nose of vanilla, caramel, and stewed berries, with a vegetal top note. On the palate, cherries, cola, vanilla, ripe almost over-ripe strawberries, with India ink, coffee and peppery tobacco on the substantial finish. Good structure overall, and actually more restrained than my notes may suggest. Tasty, but also a bit on the forgettable side (for my tastes).