Wine: Jermann: Vintage Tunina IGT

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.

Jermann

It is no exaggeration to say that Silvio Jermann has made Italian wine history. This is particularly true of his whites, spearheaded by such cult items as Vintage Tunina and Dreams.
Heir to a traditional Friulian winery dating back to 1881, Silvio graduated from two renowned wine academies, Conegliano and Istituto di San Michele. His first professional decision was taking an in-depth sabbatical overseas: this voluntary exile to Canada broadened his scope, allowing him a freedom of research that would have been unthinkable at home.
Once back at the family winery, Silvio overcame his father’s resistance and inaugurated a new era not only for Jermann but for white vinification in Italy. Since then, the Jermann wines have never ceased to awe and amaze with their purity and depth of flavor, richness in mineral extract, elegance, balance and longevity.
Today, the range comprises three delightful reds and total acreage is 272, 198 acres of which under vine. Silvio personally monitors each of the numerous tiny vineyards… One of the reasons he is seldom seen even at major wine events: it’s almost impossible to tear him away from the quintessential event in winemaking. Winemaking itself.
The estate has seen impressive development starting with its 110th anniversary, 1991, when Silvio purchased vineyards in Ruttaris, the heart of Collio (next to Capo Martino). That same year saw the launch of Capo Martino in Ruttaris (originally called Piccolo Sogno), an extraordinary alchemy of old-vine Friulian whites (oak-fermented, oak-aged blend of dried Ribolla Gialla, Tocai, Pinot Bianco, Malvasia, Picolit etc., in varying combinations).
In September 2002, the foundation stone for the new Jermann cantina was laid. On this occasion, Silvio Jermann pronounced a speech worth quoting: “This is surely the most important program in our family history. It goes hand-in-hand with a 19th-century respect for the terrain’s natural slopes and cultivation levels; the new winery and cellars are built like a rural village from the 1700s or 1800s, entirely in natural, local material such as stone and solid wood. We shall use barrels in various sizes, and historical native varieties that have grown in the area for centuries. I want the wines to be genuine. I want them to be balanced and elegant but above all, they should move us, prompt our emotions and a sense of authenticity.”

The blend now known as Vintage Tunina was first produced in 1973. However, its first official release under this name was in 1975. A pet name for Antonia, “Tunina” was the first owner of this vineyard. Another “Tunina” lived in the 1700s, and was the only lover of Casanova’s to have been of humble birth – working as housekeeper for an illustrious Venetian family. To this intriguing and romantic figure, Silvio Jermann dedicated Vintage Tunina.
Training: Guyot-Cappuccina, with 6,000-7,000 vines per hectare (approx. 2,430 to 2,840 per acre)
Alcohol cont. by vol.: 13.5%
Acidity: 5.40-5.60‰
Expected cellar life: 7/8 years, 10 years for the finest vintages
“Brilliant straw yellow in color, with golden reflections. Intense, ample, very elegant and persistent, with scents of honey and country flowers. On the palate it is dry, mellow, well balanced, with extraordinary persistence thanks to the full body. Matches first courses with truffles, fish dishes and poultry. Great with fresh salmon stuffed with Parmesan cheese and artichokes.”
(Translated from an Italian-language review by Daniele Cernilli)
Did you know…? In 1976, the most celebrated wine journalist of the 1900s – Luigi Veronelli – asserted that Vintage Tunina was to be considered the “Mennea of Italian wines” (Italy’s Pietro Mennea was the greatest sprinter in the world, holding the 200 meter record for 17 years).
The 1997 vintage was acclaimed by Gambero Rosso as the best Italian white.
The 1998 vintage was awarded the Italian Sommeliers’ Association’s “Wine Oscar”.
In October 2000, Cesare Pillon wrote in Civiltà del Bere magazine: “…Vintage Tunina is extraordinary in many other ways. So far, nobody had ever been aware that this is the best meditation wine ever produced – not just in the passive sense (wine to be sipped as you meditate), but also in the active sense: Vintage Tunina is a wine that makes you think…”

2007 Vintage Tunina, 92 points -Wine Spectator (Aug 2009)

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