Ribolla Gialla’s orchard fruits mingle with cantaloupe, honeycomb, tea leaves, spice and minerals in this umami-laden unusual wine. Amber hued, textured and unique, this ’98 is a rare bottling from Josko Gravner, and now edging on two decades of maturity, this wine is incredibly elegant, showing how time has worked to soften and evolve. This single-vineyard Ribolla Gialla derives from old vines in Gravner’s Runk vineyard; some of these vines dated back to 1915, and Josko vinified these parcels separately, fermenting the grapes with extensive skin contact in large wooden vats. Even more defining, this wine was just bottled in 2010, aging for upwards of a decade, redefining the term Riserva for a white wine. Gravner produced just 500 magnums of this extraordinary long-aging amber wine.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia
- Subregion/Appellation: Venezia-Giulia IGT
Ribolla Gialla is one of Friuli's oldest indigenous vines, and enjoyed the distinction of serving as the drink of choice—under the name Rabiola del Collio—in the Republic of Venice. While virtually unknown to a modern audience, Josko Gravner authored a movement dedicated to its reclamation, endeavoring to comprehend this difficult varietal's character and nuances over a period spanning two decades. His work with Ribolla represents the achievement of which he is most proud.
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