The undoubted new talent from Friuli! Since 2018 Nikolas pursued his desire of making his own wines and began his small winery in the village of Cormons near the Slovenia border. His goal was to produce wines artisanally, using only traditional methods and paying homage to tradition of the area. The vineyards (1.5 hectares) are family owned and cultivated with the help of his parent’s Robert & Elena.

Tasting newly arrived Bianco 2020 in magnum

The parcels are located in the “Cru’s” of Collio at Montana, Pradis and Bosc di Sot. There are 3 varieties planted; all indigenous including Tocai Friulano, Malvasia Istriana and Ribolla Gialla with an average age of over 50 years. The vines are cultivated according to biodynamic principles with an evident permacultural approach. In our humble opinion the Ponca (Flysch) soils are able to produce some increadible wines, a beautiful region complimented by a Mediterranean climate and geology suited to beautiful vine growing. This soil consists of sandstone and marl rich in lime, allowing quick and relatively frequent run-off of moisture, while holding just enough water to nourish the vines. The soil is also rich in calcium carbonate keeping it alkaline, uplifting the minerality & adding nuanced aromatics, a rich texture and bright acidity.

Really we we’re not looking to expand into the wines of Friuli though we have always been captivated. Occasionally, there are wines however with a draw and allure that makes them too fascinating to pass up; though he’s producing in small quantities, he is set to grow, more cuvées and different styles of vinification either available soon or in experimentation for drinking in the very near future. We came across the house what is now years ago, it was only after a recent 1st tasting that we were captivated, even with high expectations and optimism the wines were different than what we imagined. Orange wines! complex, tannic, and amber with supporting density. Granted, a style we also greatly appreciate, long maturations and extended maceration periods ultimately give you a Friulian wine with a much different profile such as those from neighbouring Franco Terpin. We are so excited to begin working with Nikolas beginning from his 2020 vintage offering a single cuvée (Bianco) in regular & large formats.

Vintage 2020 was very balanced, with good rainfall but also hot July and August. In the first week of September they received a lot of rain and the temperatures dropped. In mid September, perfect conditions to start harvesting, with cool nights and sunny days. After the hand picking, the maceration was done with whole bunches and about 4/5 days long in open vat fermenters and concrete vats. After a gentle pressing the fermentation was completed in wooden barrels and concrete vats. During the next summer the cuvée was prepared and the wine was bottled in September.

The result is a cuvée of 50% Malvasia and Ribolla aged in big oak and 50% Tocai Friulano aged in concrete. Ripe wine character with light white flowers aromatic start at the nose and at the palate long and deep with a salty finish. Expression of our warm Mediterranean climate from the Adriatic sea facing vineyards and fresh East climate from the Quarin hill vineyards surrounded by forest.

The wines are elegant, pure and extremely long lasting. Balance, minerality, complexity and acidity are perfectly matched.