Three From Friuli's Kitzmuller
FRIULI’S THOMAS KITZMULLER
Three new 2022 wines have just landed from Thomas Kitzmuller, in Friuli's wine town of Cormons. This 2022 vintage is an especially successful one in NE Italy.
It’s been over eleven years since we first visited Thomas and were bowled over with his affordable, precise and generous wines. As the first to bring the Kitzmuller wines to the USA, we continue to maintain our "almost direct imports" work with his winery.
Collio Friulano 2022 DOC
It's like a meteor just hit your front lawn - that’s how fine friulano can impact wine lovers. (Friuli’s indigenous friulano grape was at one time was called tocai-friulano.) By any name, the grape produces one of Italy's most celebrated white wines. From the rock infested, reddish-toned hill-slopes of the famed Collio DOC, the ground lends a distinguished influence to this wine of gravitas and balance. Thomas's dry Collio Friulano possesses a long finish with plenty of drive in the mouth. The ‘22 features a fluid, chalky, fruit-rich density with a saline finish. The opulent magic of place - all from the soil - makes for a wine of fine weight and noticeable viscosity with a lengthy palate "reverb." $22.00
Collio Ribolla Gialla DOC 2022
Kitzmuller's Collio Ribolla Gialla, from this indigenous Friulian white grape, is lush and spicy. Virtually exclusive to Friuli and next door Slovenia, Ribolla is produced in small amounts and it absolutely sings in Collio Friulano zone. The 2022 is full of delicate grace to enjoy sip by sip, or share with a friend who you know has patience for a fine wine vs. a boisterous one. When that kind of peace is shared about what's in the glass, on the palate and in the mind, the experience is even greater. A different way to express: this wine is subtle and delicious. $22.00
Corte Marie Cabernet Franc 2022
It may seem a surprise, but indeed, cabernet franc is comfortably at home in parts of Friuli. From the lower hills, near Cormons, this earthy and supple red is an extraordinary value. You can fully enjoy it now, or set it aside for a couple of years, and let it character develop even further. $17.00