Martissima Collio Bianco 2019

Direct Press Selection | February 2022

[PRESS 2]

Marta Venica comes from Friulian royalty. The daughter of Giorgio Venica, Marta grew up immersed in the vibrant vines of her family's Venica & Venica estate, a benchmark producer in the Northeastern most region of Italy. At the age of 18, she began working harvest with father and brother, and later went on to work under legendary producers like Dönnhoff in Germany and Pierre Peters in Champagne. She even studied biodynamics under the queen herself, Elisabetta Foradori.

Today, she owns a small vineyard in Collio, arguably the most prestigious land in all of Friuli. She works the vines organically, employing the biodynamic principals she learned at Foradori, and producing just two wines, a Collio Bianco and Rosso. The Bianco is a co-fermentation of the three white grapes she grows - Malvasia, Ribolla Gialla, and Friulano, all of which are picked and pressed together, then fermented two-thirds in stainless steel and one-third in barrique.

I've long been a loud and proud lover of Friuli - Collio produces what I believe to be some of finest white wine wines in the world. They are rich, but balanced, refined, but approachable. What I love about these wines is their ability to please all sorts of people and Marta's Bianco does just that. A beautiful nose of honeysuckle, basil and ripe pear, fuses naturally with the full-bodied palate. This is "winter white" perfection, with bitter orange, fleshy yellow apple and a touch of honey and almond. The wines gorgeous textures builds seamlessly into a very, very long finish, making it a perfect contender for main courses, especially anything herbed. [Kirk Sutherland, February 2022]