2022 Chardonnay Vie de Romans
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Tasting notes
With nine months of élevage on the lees in barrique, the 2022 Friuli Isonzo Chardonnay Vie di Romans is a generous white with plenty of fruit weight. Prominent aromas of ripe peach and orchard fruit steal the show, but there are sweet notes of calla lily and hibiscus. There is even a savory hint of lavender, but the wine ends on a decidedly sweet note with a 14.5% alcohol content. Both attest to the hot 2022 growing season. This is an ample production of 66,500 bottles.
Critic scores
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Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2022 Chardonnay mixes richness with energy and savory with sweetness, as crushed yellow apples and gingery spice combine with minty herbs and wet stone. This is soothingly round and enveloping, quite textural, with waves of ripe green melon and mineral-tinged apricots coasting across a stream of zesty acidity. The 2022 finishes youthfully tense, structured and spicy, with hints of baked pear and cardamom that resonate. While a bit backward today, the potential here is off the charts. Vie di Romans has decided to begin holding back their wines longer in the cellar to allow them to develop further before release, and I think this is a perfect example of how insightful that decision was.
A seductive bouquet of honeyed florals, almond custard, lemon curds and chamomile makes the 2022 Chardonnay Vie di Romans impossible to ignore. This is deeply textural, nearly oily and weighty in feel, yet still perfectly refined, with a saline mineral tinge up front that nicely balances its core of ripe orchard fruits. The 2022 cleans up beautifully, with a citrus concentration and hints of tropical melon that linger incredibly long as a bump of residual acidity maintains a lovely freshness. This is a fantastic effort.