Scarbolo - 'Salvadi' Pinot Grigio, Fruili, Italy (2021)

TASTING NOTES

With a slight cocoa note, this is a super complex, tense orange wine. Rose hips, an array of dried herbs & tangerines. The palate is extraordinary, walking a tightrope of tension between grip and power and elegance. Very textural, lots of bite and saltiness. 

3 weeks on skins, open air maceration. Gentle punchdows, almost full malo conversion, 22 months in old tonneaux with 3 months of bâtonnage included. 10 months resting in bottle. 

The Scarbolo estate in Lauzacco is located only 15 km from the Italian border with Slovenia. Nine separate vineyards, comprising 18 hectares, are planted to local Friulian varieties. A tremendous amount of work is being done to better understand the ‘terroirs’ and what the different vineyard sites can produce. 

The Scarbolo estate is now in the hands of the 3^rd generation, Lara (winemaker and viticulturist) and Mattia (sales and marketing) sister and brother. Their father, Valter and mother, Maria Grazia, are still very much involved. Valter, who’s focus is now on the vineyards and viticulture and who leans on his 50 years of experience working the land, took over the estate from his father and there is obvious pride when you speak with him about Lara and Mattia’s involvement.

Lara, after completing her viticulture and oenology studies, took over the winemaking full-time from her father in 2017.