Flagship wine from Frescobaldi’s Collio estate. It is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from a single terraced hill at the foot of Monte Calvario in Collio Goriziano, a region in northeastern Italy that spills over into western Slovenia (the DOC stops at the border). While the wine has a Sancerre-like freshness, it delivers more weight and texture. Its oak regime shows as spice rather than sweetness. This offers a fascinating, palate-pleasing glimpse into another dimension of Sauv Blanc. $35-40
Attems traces its Collio connections to 1106. Yes, the 12th century. A special soil—“ponca”—was a central attraction of the region from the beginning. Ponca is the predominant soil of Collio. It is composed of alternating sandstone (cemented sand) and marl (calcareous clay). The name comes from the Friulian dialect; across the border in Slovenia, the soil is called “opoka.” Ponca is low in organic matter but rich in minerals. The drain-on-top, hold-water-below nature of the soil encourages deep root systems while the low organic matter moderately stresses vines. This is almost always a good thing in a vineyard. Collio DOC vineyards must be on hillsides, with minor exceptions.
Winemaking has very deep roots at Attems. According to the website, millenary tradition has made the winery a local reference point, with Count Douglas Attems as a key protagonist. The Count founded the Consorzio dei Vini del Collio (Collio Wine Consortium) in 1964. It was Italy’s third consortium and the first in Friuli.
The Frescobaldi family acquired the property in 2000, vowing to continue the Attems tradition with “great respect of its distinctive characteristics.” Frescobaldi increased site-specific vineyard management (micro-block farming), greener farming (cover crops between rows, no or minimal synthetic inputs), and more nuanced élevage (extended time on the lees). This wine spends nine months fermenting and aging in a mix of 50% concrete eggs, 40% used barriques and tonneaux, and 10% new oak barriques. There was no malolactic conversion.
Daniele Vuerich is the estate enologist and a Friulian native. Vuerich worked at wineries in Napa/Sonoma, Australia, New Zealand, and Italy before joining Attems in 2011. Vuerich emphasizes aromatic, terroir-driven wines that reflect Collio’s marl-and-sandstone soils, diurnal shifts, and the influence of the nearby Adriatic Sea. He delays some of the harvest to mute bell pepper notes Sauv Blanc can display. He favors higher, windswept blocks where diurnal shifts intensify aromatics. At Attems, the 20-plus-year-old vine orientations and terracing offer protection from cold Trieste Bora winds from the east-northeast and northeast while still offering the benefit of Bora’s low humidity, which suppresses mildew and rot.
Located near the Julian Pre-Alps, the estate receives rainfall year-round. 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 gives Collio “a particularly intense and unique luminosity that, between August and September, contributes to the optimal ripening of grapes.”
Attems Cicinis Sauvignon Blanc, Collio DOC 2022: Pale straw-yellow color; tropical fruit, gooseberry, passion fruit, lychee, white rosebud, dried flowers, spice, saline on the nose and palate. 13.5% ABV
Dry; lively acidity balanced by a creamy, rich mouthfeel. Medium-plus body. As I enjoy a second and third sip, I lean toward near full body with an almost oily, seductive texture—a signature of this wine. It emphatically is not your razor-on-the-tongue New Zealand Sauv Blanc. This delivers “whoa-where-did-that-come-from” depth, layers, and concentration. Sip this alongside Cloudy Bay or Kim Crawford and your head will snap back. What? These are made with the same variety? Welcome to a master class in terroir and the influence of winemaker decisions.
Pairing—Roast pork loin with fennel; grilled bratwurst-style sausages; pork chops with pan sauce; roast or pan-cooked chicken with herbs; rich fish baked or stewed, shellfish; halibut in brown butter; grilled scampi, shrimp, scallops; mushroom risotto, cream of mushroom soup, chanterelles in butter. Avoid tomato sauces, heavy chile heat, delicate raw preparations. Cheese—Aged Montasio; Latteria; Valençay; Crottin de Chavignol; Chèvre with fresh herbs; Fontina DOP; young Comté; Gruyère AOP; Robiola di Roccaverano. Avoid heavy blue cheeses and extremely aged hard cheeses (36-month Parmigiano-Reggiano).
