2020 Merlot Buri

This was my first visit to Miani where Enzo Pontoni and his team weren’t still in the fields working when I arrived. I always schedule Miani at the end of the day, knowing how devoted this team is to their work. An added bonus to having them at the winery was that the wood-burning stove had also nicely warmed the tasting room. As mentioned last year, Pontoni has decided to release his selection of wines a year later so they will be more integrated and rested in bottle, making the 2021s his current releases. I’m absolutely smitten with these wines. While from a warm and dry vintage, their balance is impeccable, with the Sauvignon Casa Rossa leading the pack. This tasting also included the Merlot Filip and Buri from 2020. Let’s just say that they were worth waiting for. Anyone who doubts the importance of Merlot in Friuli need only visit this address for a tasting. As for 2022, there are a number of wines that Pontoni decided not to produce because of the growing conditions. He described it as a “two-faced vintage because the vines suffered in some young vineyards due to the drought and warmer conditions.” There will not be any Sauvignon Casa Rossa, Sauvignon Zitelle or Sauvignon Saurint. Only an estate Friulano and Chardonnay (notes included here) and Chardonnay Baracca, which I’ll be able to taste next year. The willingness to declassify wines and strive only for the absolute best in every vintage sets Miani apart. This remains one of the absolute best estates, not just in Friuli, but in all of Italy.