Winemaker Notes
Fermented in amphorae and aged two and a half years in botti, Vodopivec’s Vitovska exemplifies the murmuring, layered beauty of his style. Subtle, deeply stony, and caressing on the palate, it whispers to the taster and invites contemplation as it unfolds slowly and gracefully across the palate. It seems to occupy its own aesthetic space, a pure exploration of cool-toned texture, Rothko-like in its single-minded yet comfortingly enveloping character.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In the bottle with the white label, this is Paolo Vodopivec's "classic" expression of skin-fermented fruit in amphorae. The 2018 Vitovska shows a medium-dark golden hue with the thickness, texture and the white wine tannins that come with this rare grape variety found only in northeast Italy, specifically in the Carso area.
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Vinous
The 2018 Vitovska wafts up effortlessly from the glass with exotic florals, wet slate, candied ginger and dried apricots. This is soothingly round and pliant yet spicy with ripe yellow pit fruits and hints of cardamom. Its salty minerals balance the experience nicely, along with juicy acids that make for a jovial feel. This tapers off with medium length and perfumed with an almost-liquid-rock flavor. The warmth of the vintage has made the 2018 a very accessible and fruit-forward yet harmonious wine. The Vitovska is matured in amphora for one year, followed by another year in large neutral oak cask.
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.