Unrequited Love. Almost
Three years ago, as Domenico was gearing up, we met the Ciani family and visited their large property, Aquila del Torre, in Savorgnano, Povoletto, province of Udine. It's in the prized Colli Orientali del Friuli appellation, an amphora's throw from the Slovenian border. We tasted the wines. We loved the wines. We really wanted those wines.
Another importer got them.
Now, at last, we will have them. You can get them from Domenico Selections starting this fall.
Click on the picture to see more detail. Michele the winemaker is in the white shirt on the left; Francesca is seated behind her father at the right.
While Michele Ciani, the enologo, and his sister, Francesca, the export manager, make an array of reds and whites, we are initially taking three of their whites. After all, the white wines of Collio are the main event, although not the only event, by a long chalk. The three whites, all fermented and aged in stainless steel, are Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.
This link to the Aquila del Torre web site will give you detailed specs on each wine, in English. Still, I'm going to share my own impressions of each of these wines.
Friulano -- good fruit with unusually bright with acidity, which I attribute in part to the altitude (about 1000 feet above sea level) and the wide daily temperature range. It helped change my mind about Friulano. Crisp and refreshing with enough weight to make it a good food wine.
Sauvignon Blanc -- suave and restrained with pretty fruit (gooseberries, some tropical pineapple sorts of flavors), but none of that aggressiveness that New Zealand has caused us to dread in SB. Moderate weight, pleasing mouthfeel. Far closer in style to France than NZ or California.
Riesling -- Riesling Renano, ie, the German variety of Riesling, which offers some of the classic phenolic characteristics (petrol nose) and lovely minerality. An excellent restaurant wine because it works so well as an aperitif and with food. A charmer in every way.
Aquila del Torre makes a line of barriqued wines that have fine aging potential, not to mention a new reds, both unoaked and oaked. Having learnt the hard way not to over-order early on, we will take those on gradually. We feel that the early reputation of this organic winery will be firmly based on its lovely whites -- and its premium, in all senses of the word -- dessert wines.
The Ciani family makes two classic dessert wines of the region, a Verduzzo and a Picolit. The Verduzzo is deliciously fruity and oh so drinkable; the Picolit is a stunning wine, a nectar. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a non-botrytis dessert wine with as much depth and nuance as the Aquila del Torre Picolit.
Let's characterise these dessert wines in a different way. The Verduzzo is a wine you'll like, a lot. The Picolit will become a passion. Though, we hope and pray, not an unrequited one.
Watch this space for much more about this charming, dynamic family and their impressive work -- not only in vineyard and cellar but with their long-term vision to make Aquila del Torre a haven for nature-lovers and those who seek to preserve the habitat of the local flora and fauna. There's a reason why they call the property OasiPicolit (Picolit Oasis).
More: we shall explain the link between "love", Aquila del Torre and Juliet of Romeo and Juliet fame.
Funny story. I was the first guest at the brand-new agriturismo last month. There was everything you could want, including a ladybug invasion. The invasion is now over, but we assume the little creatures went back outdoors and are doing their divine work of keeping the vineyards clean and pest-free. The pictures are all courtesy of Pierfrancesco, Francesca's husband. It's a family affair, in the best Sly and Family Stone sense.
Recent Comments