Frasca @ Niche Niche Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey and Chef Kelly Jeun

THE WINES

First: Doro Princi, Collio Friulano 2017

Named for Founder Doro Princic, the Princic estate is located in the Collio DOC area of Italy’s northeastern Friuli region, one of the smallest growing areas in the country. Its white wines have been respected for many years as the very best of Italy, with three quarters of the Princic estate planted with white varietals such as Friulano, Pinot Bianco and Malvasia. These grapes are known to have the best balance of elegant aromas and full-bodied weight on the palate. Made from 100% Tocai Friulano from the Collio region. The grapes were fermented in temperature-controlled tanks. After fermentation, the wine was stabilized in tank until March when it was bottled.

A zesty underpinning of ground white pepper and stony minerality combines with racy acidity to drive the flavors of grapefruit granita, slivered almond and poached apricot in this tightly knit, medium-bodied white.

Second: Russiz Superiore, Collio Cabernet Franc 2017

In the commune of Capriva del Friuli, in the heart of the Collio Goriziano wine area on the border of Slovenia, is the estate of Russiz Superiore. Russiz as a place-name is traced back at least as far as 1273, when a certain Raimondo della Torre became the patriarch of Aquileia (basically, prince-bishop of Friuli). He named his estate Russiz Superiore due to its high (superior) location above the hamlet of Russiz. The estate passed through innumerable hands over the next several centuries, but was apparently known for most of that time as a source of fine winegrapes. In 1967, the property became available for sale. Marco Felluga—owner of a self-named winery in the nearby town of Gradisca d’Isonzo—recognized the superb potential of the vineyard land and bought it. He knew the estate, already famed for its Cabernet Franc, could become the jewel of the family holdings. So, rather than folding Russiz Superiore into the family’s existing vineyards, he decided to maintain it as a separate working estate, vinified and bottled as a distinct brand. 

Marco Felluga represented the fourth generation of a wine merchant family that had begun plying its trade in Istria (part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) in the late 1800s. His grandfather had begun selling wine in Friuli after World War I, and the family ended up relocating permanently to Italian Friuli after World War II and the loss of Istria to the Soviet Bloc under Yugoslavia. Marco Felluga had founded his winery in Gradisca d’Isonzo in 1956 and was ready to expand with the purchase of Russiz Superiore a decade later. 

Roberto Felluga, son of Marco, has now taken over the family wine business and continues the practice of treating Russiz Superiore as a unique estate within the portfolio. Russiz Superiore wines use only estate-grown fruit—with several native and international grape varieties, mainly white but also red. To further distinguish the Russiz Superiore line, the white wines generally have about 15–20% of the juice fermented in new oak barrels. Like the Marco Felluga line, they are designed to improve with age for several years. The well-respected Cabernet Franc vines also produce an excellent red wine for the portfolio.

Russiz Superiore makes this wine from 100% Cabernet Franc, the second most planted red grape variety of Friuli– Venezia Giulia (after Merlot). Proximity to the Alps and the sea, which send cooling afternoon breezes over the vineyards after a warm day of sun, create the ideal situation for producing complex, well-structured wines that are very ageworthy

Third: Ronco Del Gnemiz, Sauvignon Serena Palazzolo e Figli 2018

Ronco del Gnemiz was founded in the 1960s by the Palazzolo family in the heart of Friuli. Their estate sits atop the region’s famed Rosazzo hill, which is dominated by limestone-rich soils. ‘Serena’ is an exotic and aromatic varietal Sauvignon Blanc that is loaded with flavors of underripe stone fruit, fresh lime juice, and crushed rocks. All fruit at Ronco del Gnemiz is farmed organically with biodynamic principles.

Fourth: Livio Felluga, Colli Orientali Del Friuli Picolit 2015

At 100 years old, the founder and patriarch, Livio Felluga, was accredited with innovating and mastering modern winemaking in Italy. Back from WWII, he sealed a deep bond with the hillsides of Friuli by reviving the vineyards of Rosazzo, later establishing him as “the patriarch of the wines of Friuli.”

In 1956, when Livio anticipated an implementation of appellation of origin, he chose an ancient map of the area to create an iconic label to tell the world the story of his wines. Pioneering vision, deep knowledge, respect for the vineyards, and obsession with quality, once embodied by Livio Felluga himself, have been proudly carried out by the company over the years. 

Picolit is Friuli’s noblest wine, but its origins are still a matter for debate. It is only since 1750, thanks to the writings of Count Fabio Asquini, that we have any accurate documentation of this “nectar produced by the meagre berries of the bunch.” The peculiarity of this odd, delicate vine is the partial fertilization of its flowers. This means that only a few, very concentrated berries ripen in each bunch. A complex wine the color of old gold, Picolit marries sweet and acidulous sensations, releasing a pervasive aroma of candid peel, vanilla and spring flowers. In the past, Picolit was the wine of Europe’s nobility.