Venica & Venica Ronco delle Mele Sauvignon 2018
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Sauvignon del Collio Ronco delle Mele has an intense and elegant aroma of elderflower, peach leaf and pepper, in the mouth full and fat with a velvety and soft finish.
Pairs well with appetizers, in particular ham, delicate creams and soups, crustaceans and sauced fish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From this mountainous and limestone-littoral borderland between the old Iron Curtain and Western Europe, the Venica 2018 Collio Sauvignon Ronco delle Mele offers terrific varietal purity with tropical fruit, citrus, lime and garden fresh tomato leaf. Indeed, this expression of the aromatic grape shows extra ripeness and sweet, fruity intensity. That intensity translates to the palate, where the wine wraps smoothly over the senses with a soft and silky approach.
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James Suckling
A subtle sauvignon blanc with only a touch of grass character, and that highlights the pretty citrus and loquat. There’s some real oiliness to the palate, even chewiness, and notes of white pepper and green paprika add a further dimension to the racy acidity.
Other Vintages
2021-
Enthusiast
Wine
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
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Enthusiast
Wine
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Suckling
James
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.
Collio is a crescent-shaped sub region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia that hugs right up against the Slovenian border. It is perfectly situated for growing wine grapes, especially of the white variety.
The Julian Alps to Collio’s north allow the influx of cool, nighttime breezes, while the Adriatic Sea to its south regulates the region’s temperatures. The area contains flysch soils,locally known as, ponca, a layered, sedimentary rock that formed millions of years ago as continents collided under the sea. Today the flysch soils that dominate the hills of Collio provide an interesting substrate for vine roots, with measurable mineral variations within small areas. The fractured layers of flysch soils also facilitate drainage and deepening of vine roots.
The region boasts a unique set of indigenous white varieties including Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia and the rare, Picolit. International whites—Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon (Blanc) and Chardonnay—have also been in the area for well over 100 years. Today Collio is often associated with crisp, clean, floral and fruity whites. But in recent years, there has been a resurgence in popularity of the ancient Slovenian style of fermenting white grapes on their skins. This process retains additonal colors and phenols, producing a complex finished wine with an orange hue, warranting the term, "orange wines."
Reds are far less common but the indigenous Pignolo makes an age-worthy red, and the international varieties Merlot and Cabernet grow here as well.