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JERMANN, VINTAGE TUNINA

FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA, ITALY 2016

In the northeastern region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia, the hilly zones of Collio and Colli Orientali produce some of Italy’s finest and most important whites. While many red wine lovers gush over the reds of Tuscany and Piedmont, it’s the wines of these regions that rank among the best for producers of white wine. In comparative terms, it’s the Puligny-Montrachet of Italy and today’s feature is one of the region’s legendary examples. Among the early leaders in the move towards high quality wines in Friuli, Silvio Jermann and his Vintage Tunina has “one of the most popular and heartfelt followings in the varied and beautiful world of vino Italiano” (Monica Larner). First made in 1975, this trailblazing wine is easily the most famous of his whites and is produced from a field blend of late-harvested fruit at his celebrated estate in the province of Gorizia. Found on some of the most prestigious wine lists in the world, Jermann’s wines are the benchmark for Italian whites and have long been sought out for their purity of fruit, complexity and intense minerality.
 

Founded in 1881 by Jermann’s ancestors from Austria and Slovenia, Silvio was always progressive, striking out on his own in the 1970s to gain experience in other white wine producing regions including Canada’s cool-climate Niagara Peninsula. Upon returning, he was determined to produce a reinterpretation of the traditional field blends that were long produced in Austria but were often heavy and lacking freshness. By introducing stainless steel and temperature-controlled fermentation, Silvio preserved his wines' aromatic freshness while shielding it from oxidation. With one foot rooted in the past and one in the future, he introduced new technologies and began experimenting with indigenous varieties like Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit, along with the international varieties Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to create a uniquely Friulian expression.
 

Devoted exclusively to producing his iconic and highly acclaimed cru wines, Vintage Tunina and Were Dreams, Jermann's Ruttars estate is in the crescent-shaped Collio DOC. Flanked by the Slovenian border to the east, this sub-region of Friuli is composed of chalk and clay marl and is cooled by the Bora wind off the Adriatic Sea. With a wide shift between day and nighttime temperatures, the wines from Collio have a vibrant acidity and are deeply perfumed. Garnering massive scores for their 2016 vintage, Vintage Tunina is a unique field blend of 25% Chardonnay, 25% Sauvignon, 23% Ribolla Gialla, 22% Malvasia Istriana and 5% of the rare native Picolit. The grapes are all picked together, late in the season, pressed in whole clusters and fermented together as an authentic field blend. Temperature control is aimed at prolonging the fermentation and extracting maximum flavor, with 75% fermented in stainless steel and the remaining 25% fermented in large Slavonian oak casks. The wine is then aged in these same vessels for 11 months prior to being blended, bottled and aged for another 6 months in bottle. Acclaimed for its greatness, the 2016 Vintage Tunina is rich and persistent, with abundant notes of candied lemon, juicy peach, yellow apple and tangerine with subtle hints of almond, white florals and a long finish. Rich and complex, this 2016 is a classic, frame-worthy vintage. Normally running $65 to $70 a bottle, for one week we’re offering a super-sharp price for this legendary white. With the ability to age for a decade and priced as low as $51.97 by the bottle, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss!