
2020
Region
Italy › Friuli-Venezia Giulia › IGP Venezia Giulia
Type
white · still
Grapes
Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
Alcohol
13%
Volume
750 mL
Third time with this wine and it keeps revealing new angles. Still that unmistakable Bressan polish - amber, composed, deceptively calm on entry. Tonight it leaned more into candied apricot, toasted almond, and orange peel, with a malty depth that reminds you this spent serious time in oak. The tannins are there but completely absorbed into the texture - you feel structure, not grip. Acidity still razor-sharp, keeping the richness honest. Long, warm finish with honey and dried fruit trailing off. Gorgeous wine that somehow manages to be both old-school and effortless.
Fulvio Bressan's radical orange wine hits like a sauna in a bottle - all pine needles and birch brooms. Then come cognac whispers, toasted nuts, dried fruits, and what I swear is Easter paska bread. Proper malty depth. The tannins from that month-long skin contact behave themselves surprisingly well, woven into the fabric rather than sticking out. High-wire acidity keeps everything charged and focused. Long, structured, unapologetically old-school. It's like listening to your grandfather tell stories - you know he's embellishing, but you don't care because it's so damn compelling.
Oh wow. This bottle was served blind, and at first I was confident - Friuli, for sure. Clean, little funk, so I leaned toward a well-aged Ribolla, maybe a decade old. Maybe two. But the palate was too seamless, too composed - haunting, even. Then the thought crept in: who does this level of polish? Gravner? Close. It turned out to be a Bressan blend - and suddenly everything made sense. Alright, it didn't make any sense! Come on!
Despite its amber hue, it's not about skin contact - it's about careful oak ageing and controlled oxidation. Intensely polished, with layers of candied apricot and peach, orange peel, malt, almond. Over time it opens into honey and caramel. Structured, harmonious, and surprisingly un-funky - a wine that flows without a single snag.