90
Marco Felluga 2014 Bianco Collio Molamatta 13.5% $25
Named for its physical location, this is a true Super Friulian blend composed of 40% Pinot Bianco, 40% Tocai Friulano and 20% Ribolla Gialla. This striking blend delivers great harmony, not speaking of a particular grape variety but nodding toward fine terroir and good craftsmanship. The wine’s notable purity and elegant florality on the nose meld nicely with chalky and earthy tones on the palate. This blend offers a mildly creamy mid-palate (surely due in part to the vinification and maturation of the Pinot Bianco in small oak barrels) with lemony tang and lightly herbal verve with a decent finish, making it a highly malleable white for the table.
Drink: 2018-21

89
Marco Felluga 2017 Pinot Grigio Collio Mongris 13.5% $18
This riserva-level wine made from grapes grown in three villages is bit mute on the nose and remains restrained on the palate. That’s surprising given this young wine sees no oak and only a few months of lees contact. The attack and palate offer a breadth and weight that suggest this wine should have more layered nuance. However, the green apple skin and wet river rock notes are rather straightforward. There’s a lime-like acidic kick that lifts the moderate finish and gives the wine pleasant drinkability. The name “Mongris” comes from the combination of this being a mono-variety wine from Pinot Gris.
Drink: 2018-20

88
Russiz Superiore 2017 Sauvignon Collio 13.5% $28
As with the sibling wines from the Marco Felluga estate, this white comes from vineyards layered with sandstone and loam. Previously the ocean floor, today the Adriatic lies about 12 miles away. This is an elegant and subtle Sauvignon Blanc, a far cry from the “shouty” styles of this grape that are so popular today. This is helped in part by 15% of the wine being fermented in oak barrels accompanied by eight months of lees aging. It smells of fresh thyme, green tea and yellow grape tomatoes.
Drink: 2018-20

87
Russiz Superiore 2015 Cabernet Franc Collio 13.5% $30
I was excited to taste this Cabernet Franc and was pleased to not to find any green notes whatsoever in the aromatic profile. Smells of red cherries and blackberries shot out of the glass; it was a good start. However, the palate proved a bit awkward with lightly jammy fruit countered by surprisingly spry acidity. Tasted over three days, the deeply ripe fruit continued to predominate without unfolding additional complexity. This may be in an awkward stage, but it’s hard to feel confident about a $30 wine that is three-years-old and disjointed, despite its good fruit concentration.
Drink: 2018-20