Italy

Ronco dei Tassi

Cormons

Winemaker: Fabio & Enrico Coser

The name 'ronco' is Friulian for 'hillside, terraced vineyard'. Ronco dei Tassi is named after the badgers (tassi) in this little nook of paradise in the heart of the Collio, bordering the splendid Plessiva National Park. Founded in 1989 by Fabio Coser, whose earlier career as a consulting oenologist allowed him privileged knowledge of the area's terroir so that by the time he chose a property of his own, he already knew the Collio like the back of his hand. The calcareous soil is laboriously terraced to optimise exposure and drainage and yields superb indigenous varieties, expertly tutored by Fabio and son Enrico into stylish and characterful wines.

The 2008 white wines (all bottled under diam for Australia only) are the best we've seen from the Cosers and display great finesse and elegance. Fosarin, a blend of 40% Friulano, 40% Pinot Bianco and 20% Malvasia, is fresh and fruity in its youth, building complexity with time in the bottle to reveal a full, rich palate with wonderful depth. Cjarandon is a Bordeaux blend of 65/30/5 Merlot, Cabernet and Franc from tiny yields, aged 20 months in new and second-use French oak. The warm 2006 harvest produced an outstanding Cjarandon with rich, ripe black cherry fruit, spice, mint and a long, elegant finish. Picolit, a rare Friulian variety, is both late picked and air dried, aged 12 months in 118 litre Allier fayettes. The nose is intense with apricots and dried figs, the palate concentrated with a mellow sweetness and great persistence.

What's new: This year we debut one of Enrico Coser's project wines, Clic, which in Friulian dialect means 'a small glass of wine shared with friends'. The wine is a blend of Friulano, Riesling and Chardonnay that is made in a style to highlight varietal delicacy, freshness (note the screwcap) and drinkability.

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Wines
Clic IGT
Pinot Grigio DOC
Friulano DOC
Ribolla Gialla DOC
Fosarin DOC
Cjarandon DOC
Picolit DOC 375