By Neil Duarte
In Friuli, in the northeastern part of Italy, you will find Torre Rosazza, one of the flagship wineries of the group Le Tenute del Leone Alato. Torre Rosazza has 100 hectares of land, 74 of which are terraced vineyards which contain various native and Central European grapes. These Colli Orientali vineyards are protected on the north by the Julian Alps and on the south by the Grado Lagoon, which separates then from Adriatic winds. Here, Torre Rosazza grows, among other grapes, Ribolla Gialla, Friulano and Pinot Grigio white grapes. The winery employs the KYROS technique during the vinification phase to preserve the aromas from the wine.
Wine marketing firm Wellcom, who has helped me in the past, shipped Torre Rosazza samples of these wines for tasting. As is my preference, each tasting was accompanied by a mea, including one cooked by gourmet cook friends Bill and Barbara Fry.
A Torre Rosata wine. PHOTO: TERRY DUARTE.
Here are the results:
The first wine we tried was at the Fry’s home. It was a 2022 Ribolla Gialla Friuli Colli Orientali DOC, a 12.5% alcohol wine made from 100% Ribolla Gialla grapes taken from 15-25 year old vines. Alcoholic fermentation was accomplished in stainless steel tanks at a controlled 16°C temperature. After bottling, the wine was aged for a minimum of 2 months. The resulting Ribolla Gialla was a pale straw color with a light fruit nose. It finished very light and smooth, and everyone really liked it. The wine was served with Risotto Limone and Pollo Cacciatora. I rated the Ribolla Gialla a 91.
The next two wines were tasted at our home at a family dinner. My wife served several New Orleans favorites, Carciofi Siciliani, Crayfish Etouffe and Fried Oyster Poboys. The first wine of the evening was a 2022 Pinot Grigio Friuli Colli Orientali DOC, a 13% alcohol offering made from 100% Pinot Grigio grapes taken from 20-plus year old vines. After delicate pressing, the must was separated from the skins immediately in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature. The wine rested on fine lees for about six months, and after this, it was bottled and aged for two months. The Pinot Grigio was a very pale straw color and had a nice fruit nose. It finished fruity and smooth. I rated this very nice Pinot Grigio a 90.
Our final wine was a 2022 Friulano Friuli Colli Orientali DOC, a 13% alcohol offering made from 100% Friulano grapes taken from 10-30 year old vines. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 16°C. It rested on fine lees for four months and after bottling was aged for a minimum of two months. The Friulano was straw yellow in color with a very light fruit nose. It finished lovely and very smooth and fruity. I really liked this wine and I rated it a 92/93. I think that it would be an excellent accompaniment for any seafood dish.
As always, I thank the people at Torre Rosazza for giving me the opportunity to taste these fine wines.
