Specogna, Pinot Grigio Riserva
Vintage: 2019
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | SP508B19 | 6 x 75 | Natural Cork | Available |
Producer
The Specogna family owns 25 hectares of vineyard on the hill of Rocca Bernarda in the heart of the Colli Orientali DOC in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Their vineyards are planted in a spectacular amphitheatre and tended organically by Michele and Cristian Specogna, so the quality of the fruit they bring to the winery is impeccable. As a result, they are keen to get as much flavour as possible from their grapes.
Due to this quality of fruit, Michele and Cristian can macerate wines on their skins for 18 - 24 hours before fermentation. This results in a Pinot Grigio, which is ‘ramato’ (coppery) in colour, displaying a remarkable flavour intensity. While this style is fashionable today, the wine has always been made in this manner by the Specogna family and was first imported by Liberty Wines in 1997.
The Ribolla Gialla is spicy and refreshing, boasting youthful notes of peach and lively zesty citrus flavours, culminating in a remarkably fresh, elegant finish. Specogna’s Friulano is a powerful wine with aromas of exotic fruit and white pepper notes, while the Refosco shows similar intensity and personality. The ‘Pinot Grigio Riserva’ is an aged version of the Pinot Grigio ‘ramato’ sourced from over 50-year-old vines on the classic ‘ponca’ soils of Rocca Bernarda. Fermentation on its skins in oak is followed by ageing for 24 months in barrel before further ageing in bottle. The result is a rounded, generous wine with a textured finish.
The ‘Identità’ blends Friulano, Malvasia and Ribolla Gialla from 76-year-old vines. The grapes are picked and vinified simultaneously before ageing for 12 months on their lees, in 500-litre demi-muids and bottling without filtration. Matured for a further 12 months in bottle before release, the resulting wine is structured on the palate with lively acidity and delicious notes of fruit and spice. The finish is smooth and nutty, with an impressive mineral length.
Vineyards
The family has 16 hectares of vineyard on the hill of Rocca Bernarda, in the heart of the Colli Orientali DOC zone. The Pinot Grigio grapes are grown on a small vineyard, planted in 1970, at 170 metres above sea level on a north-east facing slope. Soils consist of marl, sandstone and clay and planting density is 4,000 vines per hectare. The vines are trained to the Guyot system.
Vintage
The 2019 vintage was a warm and rainy. The winter was fairly mild but saw very heavy rainfall and some snowfall. Conditions throughout the ripening period from April to October were favourable and the average temperature was 19.2°C. Hot days were followed by cooler nights which aided the ripening process. Significant rainfall (884 mm) provided healthy water reserves and well-irrigated vines throughout the hot summer. Despite the disease pressure created by the heavy rain, the vineyards didn’t suffer any hail and the dry ripening period meant the grapes were able to ripen at a lengthy pace, gaining complex characteristics and excellent flavour profiles.
Vinification
The grapes were hand-harvested into boxes, carried out in several stages to ensure only the best quality grapes reached the winery. Once there, they were gently crushed and subject to a long period of maceration, prior to fermentation using indigenous yeasts. The wine was then aged on its lees for 24 months and bottle aged for an additional few months before release.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
This wine is an intense yellow colour with coppery hues. On the nose are aromas of cranberry, cherries and red fruit. The palate is velvety, with great structure and ripe tannins. A very rounded, mouth-filling wine with a notably pleasant and luscious finish.
Alcohol (ABV)
13.5%
Acidity
4.96 g/l
Residual Sugar
0.3 g/l
pH
3.45
Other wines from this producer
Producer | Wine | Product Code | Features | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specogna | Friulano | SP501 | W | Factsheet | |
| Pinot Grigio Ramato | SP502 | W | |||
| Ribolla Gialla | SP504 | W | Factsheet | ||
| `Identità` Friulano/Malvasia/Ribolla Gialla | SP509 | W | Factsheet |