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The
wines of La
Vigne di Zamò, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Italy Anyone familiar with the Californian wine scene will do a
double take the first time they see the labels of these Fruili wines:
they are strikingly similar (in font face and design) to the labels
used by Ridge. I don’t know which was first… La Vigne di Zamò began life in 1978 when the Zamò family
purchased 10 hectares of vineyards 35 ha in Rocca Bernardo, which was
later supplemented by 12 ha at Buttrio in 1990 and then 15 ha in
Rosazzo in 1996. From these three vineyards they make a large range of
wines, using both traditional and international varieties, as is the
way in this part of Italy. It’s now a substantial operation with a
gleaming new winery, but the fact that the Zamòs haven’t lost touch
with tradition and the soil is demonstrated by the fact that the press
pack comes with a sample of the soil (small flaky stones – they look
like limestone, but I’m no geologist). This may be a slightly controversial statement, but Friuli
is
really white wine territory, and it is the whites here from this small
sample of the range that impress the most. The reds from this part of
the world tend to be fresh and tasty, with primary fruit characters,
but they’re usually not quite as compelling as the whites, which can
be spectacular. La Vigne di Zamò Tocai Friulano 2002 Colli Orientali del
Friuli (tank sample) La Vigne di Zamò Pinot Grigio 2002 Colli Orientali del
Friuli (tank sample) La Vigne di Zamò Tullio Zamò 2001 Colli Orientali del
Friuli La Vigne di Zamò Ronco delle Acacie 2000 Colli Orientali
del Friuli La Vigne di Zamò Ronco dei Roseti 1999 Colli Orientali
del Friuli see also: Spotlight on the wines of Friuli |