Primosic Gmajne Sauvignon Blanc 2015
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Although the land registers from Maria Theresa’s reign time mention some names of the first tenant farmers paying their duty to the monks of the nearby Sabotino mountain just with wine, the first name that tells the family story is the one of Carlo Primosic. At the end of 800 he provided merchants with wine which was transported in big wooden barrels from what was at that moment the south of the Austrian-Hungarian empire to Vienna.
The World War I was a disaster both for the people and the plantations on the Collio and in Gorizia. It wasn’t possible to recover from the destruction and the family tragedies until the World War II was over. The first private sales in the 50’s and the influence of young Veneto oenologists enabled Silvano Primosic to relaunch and specialize his wine production activity. The first grape harvest was bottled in 1956 and soon arrived the expressions of recognition of quality from Italy and abroad.
In 1967 The Collio Society was founded and Silvano was one of its first supporters: no wonder that the "number one" bottle of the society came exactly from the Primosics’ company.
The most important events of the recent family story were the ten-year stages such as building the new wine- shop and the present centre in 1979 and starting the quality selection in 1989. This way the wines which express the Primosics’ "philosophy" have been created: the Klin and the Gmajne-the names that derive from the oral tradition, the plots and lands where the Primosic grapes grow.
Today the people in charge of the grapevines and the wine cellar are Marko and Boris who are Carlo’s great-grandsons.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
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.