I'm an ardent Italian wine lover and yet, the country's white wines still frustrate me. The quality revolution in Friuli introduced an exciting crop of producers who make world class wine, and yet my itch for terroir-driven whites remained unscratched. Gravner, Radikon, and Ronchi di Cialla were resurrectionists and reinventors, bringing amphora, skin contact whites, and field blends back into the equation, but these techniques place the wines so far afield from other top whites that they resist any fair comparison. On the other hand, Schiopetto's precise touch and Jermann's often liberal use of oak place their wines in an unapologetically modern camp. The wines shimmer, but they shimmer so similarly to my favorite French whites that I miss Italy's brash, unpolished edges.

Finally, in Borgo del Tiglio I've found white wine that reflects distinctive Italian terroir with even-handed winemaking that highlights native Friulano. Winemaker Nicola Manferrari's approach is similar across his vineyard holdings. Most wines are whole bunch pressed (unique among his colleagues, he trained in Champagne), barrel fermented with a small percentage of new oak ageing depending on the cuvee.

The Ronco del Chiesa is a single vineyard bottling of Friulano from 70 year old vines planted behind the winery. Planting density is high and soils are poorer giving a more intense, powerful expression of the grape with serious ageing potential.  -WP