Wine: Bollini: Pinot Grigio Grave del Friuli Reserve Selection DOC

Friuli

This most Northeastern region of Italy bordering Austria and Slovenia has a blend of cultures that date back to the rule by the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WWI. Germanic and Slavic influences continue through today in a region internationally considered one of the best for white wine. Friuli is well known for setting very high standards for quality and on average yields just 3.5 tons per acre—some of the lowest found in Italy. All of the vineyards are found in the southern part of the zone surrounded to the North by the Alps. A temperate microclimate results from air currents between the shelter of the mountains and the Adriatic Sea. However, there are 2 DOC zones considered exceptional to all others: Collio (Goriziano) and Collio Orientali. Most of the wines made are single varietal in nature, with all Collio wines required to be 100% of the named grape. Traditionally, it was thought the wines would not gain any benefit from wood aging and blending. But there have been a growing number of exceptions, as producers have recognized that the depth and complexity of wines already recognized to be quite rich and full bodied could be enhanced further with malolactic fermentation, oak aging and or blending. White wine is of such importance in Collio that only 1/5 of the wine produced is red. Friuli produces wines from widely recognized varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet and Pinot Noir. However, there are also a number of lesser known varieties that provide wonderful alternatives-Tocai Friulano, Traminer Aromatico, Riesling, Ribolla Gialla, and Picolit for white, and Refosco, Pignolo, Schioppettino and Tazzelenghe for red. It should be noted that, while Friuli is well know for white wines, they account for just a little over half of the entire region’s production. Red wines, which have not been recognized on the nternational market, have now begun to create a stir in recent years as wineries traditionally awarded Gambero Rosso’s Tre Bicchieri for white wines are now receiving the top honor for the reds.

Bollini

Mother Nature has her favorite places. Special places where man and landscape are in ideal harmony.
Neil & Maria Empson have chosen just such rare terroirs for their own Bollini range: premier appellations in northeastern Italy. Millions of years ago, melting glaciers wove diverse minerals into these Alpine foothills, endowing them with the elixir of life.
Its magic endures to this day, firmly rooted in the soil, captured in the fruits of the vineyard.
Bollini is about nature and passion. Its story began in 1979, when Neil & Maria created the range as an expression of their love and respect for fine Italian viniculture. Excellence and consistency at highly accessible price points: this was and remains the Bollini mission.
It’s a personal mission, a personal quest, which the Empsons share with people as unique as these extraordinary regions. The Bollini team cares. The oenologists, the cellarmasters, the harvesters, all partake of a vision, an ardent adventure into the art of quality winemaking. The human factor makes the difference - for as a great poet once put it, passion is “Nature’s second sun”.

Millions of years ago, glacial melting caused rivers to flow from the Alps down to the Adriatic Sea, depositing mineral-rich stones (“grave”) that gave their name to the region. This rocky soil – sheltered from the northern winds by mountains, and warmed by gentle breezes from the nearby sea – nurtures the 100% Pinot Grigio of Vigna Trasassi (“vineyard among stones”), endowing it with minerality, complexity and structure.
From small crops of highly concentrated fruit, laden with pear, spice and character in a creamy, lush style.
Ages well for several years.

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