Dario Prinčič
FRIULI
Frioul, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region at the north-eastern end of Italy on the border with Slovenia, has built its reputation on white wines made from its traditional grape varieties, in particular macerated whites which are considered example of this type of vinification. The Collio vineyard, around Gorizia, is the land of pioneers like Gravner, Radikon, Prinčič, Terpin or Paraschos, both ardent defenders of tradition and the identity of the terroir and daring innovators.
The estate of Dario and Franca Prinčič is located in Oslavia (or Oslavje in Slovenian), hamlet of Gorizia and true heart of the Friulian Collio. On the hillsides with their unique soil called "ponka" (clay-sandstone marl), the vines - today 11 ha, with the help of sons Andrea and Marco - are worked with the care of a gardener, without any chemical treatment since the 80s. The grape varieties combine local or traditional grape varieties – ribolla gialla, pinot grigio, friulano (ex “tocai” friulano, and often renamed from the palindrome “jakot”) – with French grape varieties (sauvignon, chardonnay, pinot blanc, as well as merlot for the red), all vinified since the end of the 90s, whatever the color of the grapes, in "red", that is to say with maceration with the skins between 1 week and 1 month depending on the case, in tapered wooden vats (oak or chestnut). At the end of a long aging in barrels (2 or 3 years), the whites are distinguished by their intensely colored robe that is both dense and lively, of great energy, held together by a tannic texture and a frank saline acidity: natural wines with a very strong, unique character and great ageing potential.
