Livio Felluga Sauvignon Blanc 2018
-
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The color is a straw yellow with light green hues, full, luminous and fresh. The nose is intense, typical, elegant and articulated. The richness of aromas highlights fruit with blackcurrant, passion fruit and white melon; flowers with Lantana, elderberry and orange blossom; spices with chili and ginger; and freshness with oregano, marjoram and mint leaves. Varietal notes of boxwood and tomato leaves blend with subtle citrus hints of lime and grapefruit. The palate is ample, fresh, rich and balanced. The perfume complexity is well preserved in the taste. Lime and sage fuse with the explosion of tropical and ripe fruit. Great freshness, pleasant savory notes and balanced acidity. Long and progressive with mineral hints in the finish, remarkable persistence.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Aromas of green papaya, lemon grass, dried herbs and crushed stones. It’s medium-to full-bodied with tangy acidity and a waxy texture. Concentrated and layered with a spiced, mineral finish. Drink or hold.
Other Vintages
2022-
James
Suckling
-
Wine
Enthusiast
The 500-acre Livio Felluga Estate includes 370 acres of rolling hillside vineyards in the Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli. Friuli's temperate climate, protected by the Alps to the north and moderated by the Adriatic Sea to the south is a winemaker's dream. The sparse soil of marl and calcareous deposits is ideal for the white varieties, and also for their complex red wines.
Felluga does not believe in undistinguished, homogenous wine styles, but rather focuses on subtle, elegant expressions of wines made from grapes which have been grown in Friuli for centuries. Balance and clarity are the hallmarks of these wines, with minimum influence from oak and maximum freshness.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
Viticulture has thrived in Colli Orientali del Friuli since the reign of ancient Rome and today its verdant, rolling hills support a long list of autochthonous varieties, each playing a unique and important role in the modern Colli Orientali wine scene.
The region is primarily recognized for its white wines. Its indigenous varieties of Ribolla Gialla, Verduzzo, Picolit and perhaps most importantly, Friulano are made into single varietal wines or blended, and often blended with the international varieties of Sauvignon blanc, Pinot grigio and Pinot bianco. The latter have been flourishing in the area since the 1800s. But it wasn’t until the 1970s when producers started using cold fermentation techniques to produce fresh, fruity, crisp and aromatic whites that this area began to attract international attention.
While reds only make up about a third of the area under vine, Colli Orientali is home to some of Italy’s most exciting and rare red wines. Refosco, Schioppettino, Tazzelenghe and Pignolo are among the autochthonous varieties while Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir also have a stronghold.
Colli Orientali holds much in common with its neighbor, Collio; the only thing dividing them is a political line. Both are influenced by the cooling effects of the Julian Alps and moderated by the Adriatic Sea. A unique soil of alternating marine layers called flysch also dominates Colli Orientali, providing a mineral-rich environment for vine roots and optimal water drainage.