Zidarich Malvazija, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy 2019

Zidarich Malvazija, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy 2019

 Following his father, Benjamin began in 1988 with just one hectare and has since grown his holdings to eight hectares, all of which he farms without the use of chemicals. He employs both Guyot and Albarello trellising, severely limiting the number of buds per branch in order to maximize each vine’s intensity of expression. The vines grow in the classic iron- and calcium-rich red soils of the area, extending deep into the limestone that looms just below the surface. Benjamin works primarily with Vitovska, the classic local variety of the Carso, but he also has plantings of Malvasia and Sauvignon—as well as small amounts of Teran (another local variety) and Merlot for his reds. Harvest is done entirely by hand, and Zidarich’s modest yields typically hover around 30 hectoliters per hectare.

• Winemaker: Benjamin Zidarich
  
• Farming: Biodynamic
• Variety: Vitovska
  
• Terroir: From sloped, south-east-facing vineyards in the communes of Duino, Aurisina, and Prepotto, all on the Carso overlooking the gulf of Trieste. Iron-rich red limestone endemic to the Carso/Karst. 6-30 year old vines.
  
• Vinification: Hand harvested.After total destemming, crop ferments spon-taneously on its skins in open-top, Slavonian oak tini without temperature control. Cuvaison lasts c. 2-4 weeks.
  
• Aging:  24 months on lees in neutral Slavonian oak casks that range from 5-30 hl. Unfined, unfiltered, low to no sulphur (Applied at harvest if necessary and at bottling, c. 60 mg/l total sulfur.)
  
• Tasting Notes: The wine presents notes of crunchy mango, white pepper, and lemon verbena, with a subtle honey undertone emerging on the driving, mineral-drenched finish. Even after a decade, the wine will offer amazing depth and freshness, proving that its relative youthful exuberance does not preclude an equally impressive age-ability.