Petrussa Schioppettino di Prepotto 2015
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Schioppettino is an extremely elegant wine, aromatically expressed with hints of spices in general, where white and green pepper prevail on the background of small berries. In the mouth it shows the best of itself with a balanced concentration and with subtle and sensual tannins, fitting into its own world, where elegance prevails over muscularity.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Friuli Colli Orientali Schioppettino di Prepotto Vigna Petrussa awards an unobstructed and authentic view onto the Friuli wine identity. This is an offbeat wine with a lean, mid-weight performance in the mouth. The first wave of aromas is tarry and resiny. Those dark aromas cede to crushed black pepper, cured tobacco and tilled earth. In the mouth, the wine offers juxtaposed tones of dark sweetness followed by savory smoke. It is aged in large oak casks for two years. Only 6,000 bottles were made. I could imagine a food pairing with a fatty pork dish.
-
James Suckling
A fruity red with curious peanut and almond character and hints of herbs. Medium body and light tannins that give a slightly firm finish.
It was not difficult to understand the reason why. Such a decision brought back to their mind the hard life spent in the fields, the constant deprivation, due to economic difficulties.
They were not happy at all and they could not understand our choice to give up secure work places and guaranteed salaries. Our determination had deep roots, based on the values of the millennial farming culture, that our parents handed down to us through their world view.
To give up a salaried position in another field has never been a problem for us. We were aware that the freedom of living and working according to the rhythms of nature would have payed us back. Now, Giustina and Celestino are proud and their serenity of these past twenty years is for us a great life lesson and for this we thank them.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
Viticulture has thrived in Colli Orientali del Friuli since the reign of ancient Rome and today its verdant, rolling hills support a long list of autochthonous varieties, each playing a unique and important role in the modern Colli Orientali wine scene.
The region is primarily recognized for its white wines. Its indigenous varieties of Ribolla Gialla, Verduzzo, Picolit and perhaps most importantly, Friulano are made into single varietal wines or blended, and often blended with the international varieties of Sauvignon blanc, Pinot grigio and Pinot bianco. The latter have been flourishing in the area since the 1800s. But it wasn’t until the 1970s when producers started using cold fermentation techniques to produce fresh, fruity, crisp and aromatic whites that this area began to attract international attention.
While reds only make up about a third of the area under vine, Colli Orientali is home to some of Italy’s most exciting and rare red wines. Refosco, Schioppettino, Tazzelenghe and Pignolo are among the autochthonous varieties while Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir also have a stronghold.
Colli Orientali holds much in common with its neighbor, Collio; the only thing dividing them is a political line. Both are influenced by the cooling effects of the Julian Alps and moderated by the Adriatic Sea. A unique soil of alternating marine layers called flysch also dominates Colli Orientali, providing a mineral-rich environment for vine roots and optimal water drainage.