2018 Borgo del Tiglio Studio di Bianco

 

50% Friulano

 25% Sauvignon

 25% Riesling

14.5% abv

Very nice development over the past couple of years and starting to show the potential of the tasty sorcery when these varietals integrate

in the blend... bravo! 

Drink one now if you have some. Save the rest for future long term appreciation and enjoyment....👍

must include the wonderful Producer notes from Eric Guido for reference...

"...Speaking with Mattia Manferrari, of Borgo del Tiglio, inevitably resulted in a long and thorough conversation about terroir. The reason being that this top-level Friuli producer ultimately places the most importance upon location and the vines that grow there. The Manferrari family tends three vineyards throughout the Collio region. The Brazzano cru is located around the winery, and it’s also one of the first parcels acquired four generations ago. This is the warmest of the Borgo del Tiglio sources with ponca soils, a layered mix of marl, sandstone and marine fossils, making it ideal for the Friulano that produces the Ronco della Chiesa and the Merlot that creates the Rosso della Centa. This location is also home to ancient Malvasia vines that inform the Italo & Bruno. Further into the hills, near the small village of Ruttars, we find a cooler climate with ponca soils laced with limestone, which creates the perfect environment for aromatic white varieties. This is the source of the Collio Bianco and the single-vineyard Studio di Bianco, a field blend of Friulano, Sauvignon and Riesling. Then there is Ca delle Vallade, the coolest section of the Collio, where Borgo del Tiglio sources their Chardonnay from red, iron-rich soils. In order to highlight the specific characteristics of each of these vineyards, a low-impact process is followed in the winery. Fruit is pre-sorted in the vineyards and pressed gently, where only free-flow juice is used to retain acidity and finesse, and just 50% of the weight of the grapes actually makes it into two-to-five-year-old barrels for fermentation and refinement over nine months (with the exception of about 20% new oak for the Chardonnay). As for the vintage in front of us, primarily 2018, it ended up being an early yet extended harvest. Early due to a warm spring, yet cool and dry temperatures through September allowed the vineyard teams to pick at the most opportune times. Unfortunately, hail in July drastically lowered yields in the cooler-climate vineyards, as much as 50% for the Studio di Bianco and Chardonnay. In most cases, I found the 2018s to have more textural girth than expected, yet they were balanced and energetic. This mix provides a bit more upfront appeal to the new releases, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that these won’t mature beautifully over medium-term cellaring. -- Eric Guido, January 2021..."