Winemaker Notes
Bright straw yellow color. The nose is elegant and complex with mineral notes and ripe aromas of citrus and exotic fruits, together with fresh hints of sage and lemon verbena. The sip is full, fresh and persistent with a pleasant finish of mint, lime and minerals.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Green-fruited white with aromas of pink grapefruit, bell peppers, lemon leaves and lime curd. Full-bodied with a dense, compact palate. Lots of green-papaya and grapefruit character.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Vie di Romans 2020 Friuli Isonzo Sauvignon Blanc Piere shows early development, with a deeper golden hue and evolving aromas of hydrocarbon, lemon preserve and Golden Delicious apple. The palate remains balanced and composed, with a drying mineral and saline edge that carries through the finish, alongside subtle hints of caramel. Despite its evolution, the wine retains freshness and elegance, offering a nuanced and very pretty expression.
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Wine Enthusiast
Piere is the Friulian dialect for “stone” and the plethora of rocks covering this single vineyard bestows the name. This Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of grapefruit, lime zest, white flowers and a touch of jalapeño. The palate pops with vibrant acidity and amazing texture from the eight months of lees aging. As the wine develops, hints of stone fruit, citrus, crushed rock and dried white rose emerge.
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.