2019 Schioppettino

I think it’s safe to say that Serena Palazzolo and her husband Christian Patat are at the top of their game; and as a result, the wines of Ronco del Gnemiz are among the best being made in Friuli today. The range is extensive, because the focus here is on transparency of terroir. While it might be easier to sell and market one or two Sauvignons, the difference of each hill, each exposition and the age of each vineyard creates such unique expressions, that it would be a pity to not create all six. Of course, it’s not easy as a wine lover to collect them all, yet I do advise trying. Standing atop the hill that this winery sits upon and looking out across the Rosazzo, in Colli Orientali, paints the picture of why these vineyard designations are so important to the future of the region. These hills rise and fall like bubbles forming up from the earth as they cascade off into the horizon. I can imagine the intrigue that a winemaker would have to understand each and every one of these unique locations. Ronco del Gnemiz is certified organic, yet chooses not to advertise it; and in the winery, the approach is gentle and quite similar throughout the range, with barrel fermentation in neutral wood and aging sur lee. Only the Chardonnays go through both fermentation and malolactic processes in 228-liter barrique. Christian Patat works with both estate and rented parcels, which he has full control over, and each individual vineyard is bottled separately. You can tell when a wine is from a rented parcel, as the label shows “Gnemiz”, with “made at” spelled out in a code resembling braille, instead of the full name “Ronco del Gnemiz”. These wines are gorgeous in the youth and quite vertical, yet it’s only through maturation that they reveal their real magic. If you’re drawing up a short list of Friuli’s best producers, make sure that you place Ronco del Gnemiz near the top.