Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tasted before the 2017 to avoid the influence of that later vintage’s botrytis-driven sweetness, the Gravner 2016 Ribolla is a wine of greater depth and composure. The 2016 reflects a more complete and classically “Gravner” expression shaped by decades of refinement in extended skin maceration and amphorae aging. The color is deeply orange, signaling its concentration, while the palate shows pronounced minerality and firm, dry tannins that frame a wine of notable precision and length. Compared to the more immediate and simpler 2018, the 2016 is more complex and profound, with layered depth and an etched structure. This stands out as the most compelling wine in the lineup, distinguished by its intensity, balance and enduring finish.
-
Vinous
The 2016 Ribolla Gialla Anfora is wonderfully lifted and finessed in style, entrancing the senses with a cascade of dusty dried flowers, pine shavings, ginger spice cookies, cloves and dried peaches. It is weighty upon entry with a stimulating core of zesty acidity to balance, as a savory wave of tart apples and apricots courses across the palate, leaving notes of cedar and sour citrus in its wake. Long and youthfully stern, the 2016 leaves a crunch of minerality and a sensation of inner incense while tapering off classically dry. This is a regal and refined vintage for the Ribolla Gialla Anfora. It was fermented with 20% whole clusters as the stems on the Ribolla Gialla were perfectly ripe.
-
Decanter
Gravner's Ribolla ferments on the skins in amphorae and ages for several years in large oak barrels, producing what is the quintessential Italian skin-contact wine. Spicy and textural, with a hint of Sherry flor, it's remarkably fresh and vibrant. Citrus peel and blood orange notes are carried along on a slightly warming finish. Spellbinding.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
The source of some of Italy’s best and most distinctive white wines, Friuli-Venezia Giulia is where Italian, Germanic and Slavic cultures converge. The styles of wines produced in this region of Italy's far north-east reflect this merging of cultures. Often shortened to just “Friuli,” the area is divided into many distinct subzones, including Friuli Grave, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Collio Goriziano and Carso. The flat valley of Friuli Grave is responsible for a large proportion of the region’s wine production, particularly the approachable Pinot grigio and the popular Prosecco. The best vineyard locations are often on hillsides, as in Colli Orientali del Friuli or Collio. In general, Friuli boasts an ideal climate for viticulture, with warm sunny days and chilly nights, which allow grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
In Colli Orientali, the specialty is crisp, flavorful white wine made from indigenous varieities like Friulano (formerly known as Tocai Friulano), Ribolla gialla and Malvasia Istriana.
Red wines, though far less common here, can be quite good, especially when made from the deeply colored, rustic Refosco variety. In Collio Goriziano, which abutts Slovenia, many of the same varieties are planted. International varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc are also common, but they tend to be Loire-like in style with herbaceous character and mellow tannins. Carso’s star grape is the red Teranno, notable for being rich in iron content and historically consumed for health purposes. It has an earthy, meaty profile and is often confused with the distinct variety Refosco.