Russolo

The Russolo family has been flying the flag for delicious, varietally distinctive, small production wines in Friuli Grave since the 1970s, and today, they're producing what we think to be some of the best single varietal wines in the entire region. Rino Russolo and his brother Iginio have recently taken over this 17Ha estate from their father, and they have a new found focus on sustainability and environmental conscientiousness. As a result, their low-yielding, highly expressive wines have never tasted better and you can find amazing value for money across their range of wines. A current favourite of ours is their white blend Doi Raps, meaning two bunches, referring to the fact that only two grape bunches are left on the vine during ripening. Reducing competition for nutrients means the remaining grapes ripen with so much intensity of flavour and the wine is packed with lychee, peach and mandarin flavours that are just delicious.

Western Friuli and the large appellation of Friuli Grave is sometimes overlooked for top quality wines, as Italian wine drinkers look to the more famous Colli Orientali and Collio appellations in the Eastern corner of the region for more finessed wines. But under the care of passionate and minimal intervention producers like the Russolo family, expressive and characterful wines from Friuli Grave are rivalling their cousins to the east. The gravelly soils here reflect light and heat onto the vine and they also allow for good drainage of rainwater, this, coupled with lower yields on the Russolo family's vineyards, results in concentrated grapes that are packed full of flavour. Thanks to the cooling influence of the Alps to the North and the Adriatic to the south, these ripe fruit characteristics are balanced by freshness and lift. In wines like the Russolo Pinot Grigio Ronco Calaj and the Ribolla Gialla Zui, expect some of the most varietally pure flavours you've ever tasted, full of peach, lemon, and lime flavours, with clean and fresh structures that make them perfect with food. We're very excited to introduce the wines of Russolo to the UK.