Winemaker Notes
On the nose, Illivio is vibrant and complex, pervasive and creamy, with marked floral aromas and ripe fruit. The nose opens on notes of lime blossom, wisteria, broom and chamomile, blending with fruity hints of yellow peaches, apricots, mandarins and tropical fruit like pineapple and mango. Aging in small oak endows it with delicate boisé sensations of coconut, mace, vanilla pods, brown sugar and sweet spice. The array of aromas closes on subtle rosemary and walnuts. On the palate, it is generous, harmonious, full-bodied and dense, the softness balanced by refreshing acidity. Fragrant yellow plums, peaches and papaya alternate with hints of polyflora honey and white chocolate. Tangy and lingering with a creamy and pleasantly mineral finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A complex and vibrant Collio. Glue, apricots, Mirabelle plums, citrus and beeswax. Medium-bodied with tension and crisp acidity that are well integrated with vibrant peaches in the finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Livio Felluga 2022 Friuli Colli Orientali Illivio is an assembly of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and a small portion of Picolit, with Pinot Bianco leading the blend and setting a refined, understated tone. The bouquet is relatively neutral, showing quince, pear and Golden Delicious apple, followed by a beautifully layered and structured mouthfeel that is tight, linear and direct, with no sense of heaviness. Despite the hot and dry conditions of the 2022 vintage, the wine delivers an ideal balance of natural freshness and minerality. This blend offers special complexity.
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Vinous
The 2022 Bianco Illivio is remarkably pretty, with a nuanced mix of dried flowers, almond custard, lemon oil and freshly sliced white peaches. It is elegant in feel, with cooling acidity and supple textures complementing its ripe orchard fruits as an air of chamomile adds embellishment toward the close. The 2022's minerality comes through in the finish, nearly salty and with a steely resonance as hints of sour apple fade.
The 500-acre Livio Felluga Estate includes 370 acres of rolling hillside vineyards in the Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli. Friuli's temperate climate, protected by the Alps to the north and moderated by the Adriatic Sea to the south is a winemaker's dream. The sparse soil of marl and calcareous deposits is ideal for the white varieties, and also for their complex red wines.
Felluga does not believe in undistinguished, homogenous wine styles, but rather focuses on subtle, elegant expressions of wines made from grapes which have been grown in Friuli for centuries. Balance and clarity are the hallmarks of these wines, with minimum influence from oak and maximum freshness.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
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.