A few years ago I had the chance to tour some of the winelands in western Slovenia, in the Brda region just over the Italian border from Collio. This was an eye opener, both for the beauty of the country as well as the quality of the wines. You can read more about the trip by clicking here and here. There was wine, there was food, and there were new friends made. It was pretty amazing.
Me, in Slovenia, picking Sauvignonasse!
The wine we’ll review here is from the Vinska Klet Goriska Brda cooperative, which makes a lot of wine, bringing in grapes from over 100 individual growers in the region. It is from the Sauvignonasse grape, which you may not be familiar with. Previously, this grape was know as ‘Tocai Friulano’, however with the increase in popularity of the Tokay (or Tokaji) from Hungary (a moderately sweet to very sweet dessert wine), the Hungarians took exception to the use of the word Tocai in this grape, apparently believing it was close enough to cause confusion with their branding. They got the EU governing body for this sort of thing to agree back in 2008. Now, Tocai Friulano might be known as just Friulano in Italy, and Sauvignonasse in Slovenia. Either way, the grape makes a fruity, somewhat spicy white wine with body, structure and complexity.
What makes this particular white wine a little more special, is that it is a few years old. In today’s wine market many wines are made to drink young, and even the ones that can age gracefully are most often not given the chance. That gets accentuated even more on the white side, as almost universally white wines are considered early drinkers, to capture the freshness and the vibrant fruit. There are, of course, exceptions. White Burgundy, aged Champagne and this wine would be some of them. This wine is almost five years old now, and shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. Here it is:
Wine: 2013 Colliano Sauvignonasse
Winery Location: Brda, Slovenia
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: March 2018
Tasting Notes: The wine is a light, golden color, and packs a rich nose full of peach, tropical fruit and some blood orange. On the palate there are white fruits predominantly, with white peach. Good acid, body and texture lead to a wine with excellent balance and depth. This is not a simple summer quaffer. Very well done, and aging quite nicely so far. I would drink it now, but if you happen to forget about it for another five years it just might surprise you.
Price Point – Around $12
Would We Buy It? – absolutely. It’s a bit different, very high quality, and like all Colliano wines, ridiculously high in value. Trouble is it can be hard to find in the U.S. The 2013 vintage is the one currently in the country.
Try some Sauvignonasse and then watch your friends get a confused look on their face. Then they’ll ask “Sauvignon… what?”
I actually picked Sauvignonasse grapes during the previously mentioned trip to Slovenia. They are in the 2015 Colliano Sauvignonasse. We’ll be looking to get our hands on some of that when it arrives!
A votre santé!
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