2021 Ribolla Gialla
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Tasting notes
Full bottle 1,343 g. Vinified in amphora on skins. Deep gold with a very slight cloudiness. Not much on the nose but the texture is fabulous – like oolong tea when you pour the last, cooled dregs off the unfolded tea leaves and there is a soft purr of bitterness and tannin and 'leafness' and leaf spice. It is a little rounded but no real fruit – more like the edges and outers and inners of fruit: melon peel, papaya pips, orange pip, quince skin, grapefruit pith. A wine that owns the amber space without apology but also without aggression. (TC)
Critic scores
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
About the producer
Along with the likes of Radikon, Joško Gravner – whose vines straddle the Italian-Slovenian border – is a leading light of the natural-wine movement. His skin-contact Ribolla Gialla has inspired many imitators, while the rare Pignolo is prized by those in the know.