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Zidarich, Vitovska Bianco 2015

£34.00

  • Type:

    White

  • Grape:

    Vitovska

  • Country:

    Italy

  • Grape Blend:

    Vitovska 100%

  • Region:

    Friuli Venezia Giulia

  • Vegan:

    Yes

  • Organic:

    Yes

  • ABV:

    12.50%

  • Winemaker:

    Benjamin Zirarich

  • Bottle Size:

    750ml

Description

Aged for two years in large Slavonian casks, the Vitovska is a seamless and deeply stony wine. Its fruit character veers toward apricot and peach, yet in a subtle way and the limestone is doing the heavy lifting here, with the Vitovska serving as a mere vessel for the unfettered expression of rock. The wine finishes clean and long, with a sensation of almost mentholated coolness ringing on the palate long after swallowing. Whatever subtle tannins are present are melded beautifully with the palate-staining minerality, and the overall impression is one of freshness, complexity, and drive. A bold, uplifting, utterly delicious wine.

  • Production Notes
  • Producer
  • Delivery Information

Following his father, Benjamin began in 1988 with just one hectare and has since grown his holdings to eight hectares, all of which he farms without the use of chemicals. He employs both Guyot and Albarello trellising, severely limiting the number of buds per branch in order to maximize each vine�s intensity of expression. The vines grow in the classic iron- and calcium-rich red soils of the area, extending deep into the limestone that looms just below the surface. Benjamin works primarily with Vitovska, the classic local variety of the Carso, but he also has plantings of Malvasia and Sauvignon�as well as small amounts of Teran (another local variety) and Merlot for his reds. Harvest is done entirely by hand, and Zidarich�s modest yields typically hover around 30 hectoliters per hectare. In the cellar, Benjamin uses an old basket press, and�like others in the region that have re-embraced ancient, more natural methods�he keeps his white wines in contact with their skins for a few weeks during fermentation (which always occurs spontaneously). However, in comparison to the bold, unabashedly tannic, deeply copper-colored wines of someone like Gravner, the skin-contact influence in Zidarich�s wines is remarkably subtle�their color remains relatively brilliant and vibrant, and the gentle tannins weave so tightly and seamlessly around the wines� pungent, clinging minerality as to be almost undetectable. These are first and foremost wines of minerality, not wines of skin tannins. Aging takes place in Slavonian barrels of varying sizes, and the employment of skin contact allows Benjamin to use the barest minimum of added sulfur. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration, typically two years after the vintage, and allowed to rest for a spell before being put up for sale. Running through all of Zidarich�s wines is a driving, dancing, powerful yet balletic minerality�an essence of pure stone.

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Customer Reviews

Based on 1 review
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J
JG
Obscure Grape

Good expression of a very obscure grape. Worth a try but wouldn’t buy again. green fruits and astringent notes of steel and wet stones.