Winemaker Notes
Bright straw yellow color. Intense and complex nose with aromas of vanilla, citrus, ripe golden apple, and hints of toasted coconut. On the palate it is fresh, rich, well balanced with a persistent mineral finish.
Ideal with seafood dishes, pasta and first courses, barbecues.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very leafy, herbal chardonnay with fresh aromas of lemon leaves, lemon peel and a touch of minerals. Medium-bodied, it shows crisp acidity, weight, a silky texture and a tight, biting finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Vie di Romans 2023 Friuli Isonzo Chardonnay Vie di Romans is a stacked and layered expression of this versatile grape, showing both depth and precision. The wine offers aromas of stone fruit and pastry cream alongside a botanical touch of dried herbs that lends a faintly balsamic character. Despite a slightly wetter and cooler vintage, it delivers impressive definition and intensity, supported by a balanced structure. Aged for nine months on the lees in barrique followed by nine months in bottle, and produced in 11.5 hectares of clay soils with reddish hues from iron oxide and aluminum, it combines richness with freshness and mineral nuance.
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Vinous
The 2023 Chardonnay Vie di Romans is distinctly floral and herbal in the best possible way. It lifts from the glass with nuances of sage and tropical melon complemented by a whiff of sweet spice. Opulent in feel, it has stunning acidity to balance. Glycerol textures wash across the senses with ripe pit fruits as crunchy mineral tones emerge toward the close. It finishes beautifully, squeaky clean yet long, leaving a lemony concentration and peppery inner florals to linger.
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Wine Spectator
Apple peel, persimmon and grainy pear notes, plus aromas of walnut oil, white blossoms and thyme, are set on a satiny texture in this rich white, backed by tangerine-infused acidity. Fresh and mineral-driven, with stone and oyster shell accents on the finish. Distinctive. Drink now through 2033. 5,950 cases made, 400 cases imported.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.