Sometimes you hit a home run in your first at-bat. Or, one of your first, anyway: Nicola Manferrari was one of the first Italian winemakers I ever visited, and, to this day, his vibrant wines epitomize Friulian white wine for me. Rather than jump on the “orange” wine train, like many of his neighbors in the region, Manferrari has held fast to what’s now considered the “traditional” style of Friulian white wine: crystalline, aromatic, fresh, mineral. Another way to say it would be “Burgundian,” as there was a time when white Burgundy was the benchmark of excellence for Friulian vintners.
Borgo del Tiglio is one of the few producers who commands the respect of Francophile sommeliers, who are generally dismissive of Italian white wines; this one, which combines the noble Friulano variety with Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, is luxuriously textured and brightly refreshing at the same time, with an underpinning of minerality that calls to mind some of Burgundy’s greats. If I’m asked for evidence (by one of those Francophile sommeliers) that great Italian white wine does indeed exist, I’m reaching for Borgo del Tiglio.
Manferrari originally studied to be a pharmacist, but when his father passed away in 1981, he found himself with a few hectares of family vineyards—and not just any vineyards, but some prized old vines in the celebrated wine town of Cormòns, in the Collio DOC zone. Cormòns, as I’ve no doubt said before, is Ground Zero for Friuli’s best whites, situated as it is in the foothills of the Julian Alps—but also just 25 kilometers or so from the Adriatic Sea. This push-pull of cool mountain air and warm sea breezes is one of the keys to the region’s success with white wines: Vines are refreshed every evening, which lengthens the growing season to heighten aromatics and preserve acidity, but there’s also enough warmth and sun to deliver ripeness and depth. The soils of the area are dominated by a sandstone/clay marl mixture known locally as ponka, lending the wines a palpable minerality.
Like a lot of Friulian winemakers, Manferrari is skilled not just at producing precise “varietal” wines but also shows a deft touch with blends (I still remember when Friulian “super whites'' like this one, combining both local and “international” varieties, were all anyone could talk about). Today’s Collio Bianco combines the region’s most noble indigenous variety, Friulano, with Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The voluptuous texture and apricot-pit fruit come from the Friulano; the spice, florals, and citrusy freshness come from the Riesling and Sauvignon. Aging takes place in 250-liter French oak barrels for nine months (there’s no indication as to what percentage of the barrels are new, but based on our tasting impressions, I’d say very little to none).
In terms of structure, aromatic complexity, and mineral imprint, this 2020 really has few peers in Italy. More logical company for this bottle would be some big-ticket white Burgundy or some of the exciting, well-structured whites we’ve been seeing out of Galicia, Spain lately. In the glass, it’s a shiny straw-gold with silver and a touch of copper at the rim, with aromas of dried apricot, white nectarine, acacia flowers, green herbs, a hint of white pepper, and wet slate. It is medium-plus in body, with a well-calibrated touch of creaminess (not toast) from its brief stay in oak. There’s a great back-and-forth of fruit/florals and crushed-stone minerality on the palate, and the wine is nicely rounded in texture while remaining fresh and lively. It’s a main-event white at an extremely reasonable price, ideal for pairing with rich, well-sauced, white-fleshed fish. Pour it blind for that ‘Burgundy-or-bust’ skeptic in your life (everybody has at least one). You might win a convert!
