2019 Sauvignon Zitelle

Tasting through the range of 2019 Biancos from Miani was a riveting experience, and one that I was able to extend throughout the course of three days. Amazingly, each time I came back to the wines there was something new and different to give me a glimpse into the futures of each of them - and through all of that time, not a single wine declined. Enzo Pontoni continues to run his estate in Friuli’s Colli Orientali, in the same meticulous way that we’ve come to expect from him. With hilltop vineyards in both Buttrio and Rosazzo, Miani is able to turn out a portfolio of both red and white wines that are truly world-class, extremely limited, but unfortunately with the high price tags to match. Each of the whites are treated almost exactly the same in the winery to allow the vineyard source and vintage to speak through the wines. One notable exception is the use of selected yeasts in the case of potentially high alcohol levels (especially with the Sauvignon). There is no maceration on the skins or use of SO2, and after a gentle manual pressing, the wines are barrel-fermented in a combination of barrique and tonneaux, where they rest until the end of July. Sadly, Enzo Pontoni wasn’t happy with the quality of the 2017 reds, and so he decided not to bottle them. We will, however, see the Merlot in 2018, as well as the full lineup of Rosso from the 2019 vintage, but in smaller than average quantity. What’s more, there are a number of experiments going on, which Enzo Pontoni had described to me as too “embryonic” to talk about (even as he hinted about a new field blend of esoteric indigenous varieties that he’s experimenting with). That said, we can expect the full portfolio from the 2020 vintage, and due to tthe balanced conditions of the year, size and diverse soils of the Zitelle vineyard, it’s likely that there will be a number of micro-parcel bottlings. There will also be some additional cru wines from within Miani’s smaller parcels in Rosazzo, which had gone into the Rosso in past vintages. When all is said and done, it’s an exciting time to be a Miani fan.