Sauvignon Blanc DOC “Piere” 2020 – Vie di Romans

The grapes to produce the Sauvignon Blanc DOC “Piere” Vie di Romans were destemmed and crushed. A pre-fermentation cold maceration took place at 8°C, after which the must was cold stabilised. Selected yeasts were used for the fermentation, which took place at 16-19°C and lasted 18 days. Malolactic fermentation did not take place and the wine spent eight months ageing on its lees before bottling in late May. The wine then spent a further 11 months in bottle before release.

Fruit comes from the 12.5-hectare Piere vineyard in the commune of Mariano del Friuli, which sits at 33 metres above sea level. The average age of the vines is 17 years and they are planted with a density of 6,000 vines per hectare. Exposure is north-south with single Guyot training. The soil is well-drained and has a gravelly texture with a mix of silica-rich clay and conglomerate.

Vie di Romans is based in the heart of Isonzo, where Gianfranco Gallo’s 50 hectares of vineyard produce about 250,000 bottles a year. The soil is stony and glacial, and soaks up whatever rainfall there is like a sponge. A cool east wind causes a big difference between day and night temperatures, which in turn slows ripening and allows the grapes to accumulate a great deal of flavour. This, along with the low yields Gallo achieves, and his proclivity for late picking, gives single vineyard wines of great intensity and richness. As a result, he releases the wines a year later than usual.