Deep straw-gold color; grapefruit, citrus, white peach, kiwi fruit, lime, tomato leaf, vanilla, bread, minerals on the nose and palate.
Dry; taut acidity; intense aromas. Fruity. Light body. No tannins, some hints of oak. Very approachable. This comes from a single hillside vineyard. Impressive depth and complexity. Delicious from Italy’s most prestigious sauvignon blanc region. This Attems flagship wine.
Cicinis is a terraced hill at the food of Monte Calvario (Podgora) in the Collio Goriziano in northeastern Italy. The soil is sand and silt from disintegrating limestone. The 2021 vintage started tentatively with late flowering, but June was conducive to growth with dry, sunny weather. July and August saw large temperature fluctuations, and welcome rains. Hand harvesting began the last day of August and finished 15 days later. The conditions produced strong acidity and particularly intense aromas.
The grapes were gentle-pressed and free-run must was left to clear for 24 hours without intervention. Fermentation occurred 50% in concrete eggs, 10% in new barriques, 40% in second-and-third fill barriques and tonneaux. Aging occurred in the fermentation vessels and included laying of the whole lees. Temperature-controlled fermentation and aging; no malolactic fermentation. 13% ABV
Wine making has very deep roots in Attems. The winery notes: “Attems is a name that encompasses the history of wine in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Indeed there is documentation that confirms ownership of land dedicated to viticulture in Collio by the Attems dynasty dating as far back as 1106, whereas the production of Ribolla Gialla and Refosco can be seen listed in the 1764 general ledgers.
“A millenary tradition that has made this winery a local reference point, with Count Douglas Attems as key protagonist: to him goes the merit of having founded, in 1964, the Consorzio dei Vini del Collio (Collio Wine Consortium). It was – in chronological terms – the third to have been founded in Italy and the first in the Friuli region.” The Frescobaldi family obtained the property in 2000 with a vow to continue the Attems tradition with “great respect of its distinctive characteristics.”
Located in the vicinity of the Julian Alps, the estate enjoys rainfall throughout the year. While temperatures can fall below freezing in winter, summers are warm with significant diurnal shifts. The vineyards are located nine miles from the Adriatic coast. The winery notes the refractive effect of sunlight on the Gulf of Trieste give Collio “a particularly intense and unique luminosity that, between August and September, contributes to the optimal ripening of grapes.”
Attems Cicinis Collio Sauvignon Blanc, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy 2021 delivers the acidity and tart fruit you desire from a quality sauv blanc. Food friendly and versatile. Friuli-Venezia Giulia is best Italian region for sauv blanc. Rounder and more fruity than classic sauv blanc from New Zealand. Particularly long and enjoyable finish. Pair with fish, seafood, shellfish; pork; vegetarian fare. Cheese—goat’s milk cheese is classic pairing; cheddar, gouda, havarti, monterey jack, colby jack, muenster, parmesan, swiss, brick. $20-26
