Beautiful Italian white
Really nice Italian white tonight. It's not a terribly obvious wine, but it shows real purity and focus. And when you give it a bit of attention, it begins to reveal all sorts of subtle complexities. This is real wine. I Clivi di Ferdinando Lanuzzo Clivi Brazan 2004 Collio Gorziano, Friuli, Italy
This is a Tocai from 50-70 year old vines. Made without any oak, with natural ferments and gravity bottle filling by hand after the wine has spent two years on its own lees. Even though it's had some bottle age, this is pale in colour and has a fresh, slightly floral nose of herbs, apples, pears and wax. The palate has a wonderful minerally complexity and a concentrated yet quite linear fruity character. Satisfying, pure wine that rewards a bit of attention. The producer has a nice website: http://www.clivi.it/. 91/100 (13.5% alcohol; imported into the UK by Fields, Morris & Verdin - can't find any stockists online, alas - guide price, £15-20).
This is a Tocai from 50-70 year old vines. Made without any oak, with natural ferments and gravity bottle filling by hand after the wine has spent two years on its own lees. Even though it's had some bottle age, this is pale in colour and has a fresh, slightly floral nose of herbs, apples, pears and wax. The palate has a wonderful minerally complexity and a concentrated yet quite linear fruity character. Satisfying, pure wine that rewards a bit of attention. The producer has a nice website: http://www.clivi.it/. 91/100 (13.5% alcohol; imported into the UK by Fields, Morris & Verdin - can't find any stockists online, alas - guide price, £15-20).
posted by Jamie @ 10:04 PM
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And very ageable. The '97, their first vintage, is still not at peak from well-treated bottles. The Brazan, from a vineyard a litte bit south of Galea, is better for nearer-term drinking.
Thanks for that Thor - I think it's quite serious stuff
Here's a tasting, and I visited the domaine last year (notes not yet posted online, in my usual fashion) for even more old-vintage explorations, but I agree: very interesting wines, and a good entrant in the argument about whether Friuli's most interesting grape is ribolla gialla or tocai. (I don't yet have a sure opnion.)
Don't miss the red, either. The verduzzo, which may or may not be available in your environs, is tasty but forgettable in comparison.
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