Dario Coos Sauvignon Friuli DOC 2018

This is a very high end savvy that you can savour while young or cellar for at least 5 years to create more texture and develop its secondary characters. In the north-eastern part of Italy where the Alps border on Austria is a microclimate that produces some striking wines. This little pocket called Friuli (pronounced 'free-oo-lee') is widely regarded as the white wine 'mecca' of Italy. A sauvignon from Friuli is like nothing else you have tried. Don’t expect the Australian or New Zealand versions of this wine. Reset your mind and your palate! For centuries wines have been made in Friuli, an area dominated by 5 times more white wine made than red! This sauvignon blanc tastes very expensive from the first sip. Having said that, we were luckily able to source this gem at a very special price for our Cru to sample. As our wine of the week, this is the best price we have ever offered the Dario Coos.

The grapes are handpicked and treated with meticulous care througout vinification. Some skin contact and stirring of lees create a very special texture and a perfect balance in the glass. The intense straw colour hypnotises you and draws you in while its exotic fruit hits your nose leaving you with only one option. Bloody well drink it!! Dry but such a polished finish with a subtle melon flavour shining through. This is a wine for the lazy long lunch with family and friends. Don’t serve it too cold as the aromas and flavours open up even further as it warms up.

You’ll notice that the texture is far more like that of a chardonnay than a southern hemisphere sauvy ...more viscosity. This is also a no-need-for-a-reflux-pill wine, with none of the high acid you come to associate with Aussie sauvignons. A perfectly made wine with excellent balance and structure. We food matched it with a whole stuffed baby snapper (click for recipe). Foodie heaven!

Popsy & JJ tasted and food matched February 2021

Glass

Aromatic style will work just fine but try a Burgundy glass if you’re into experiments like us. We found the structure of the wine suited it really well.

Cellaring

Drink now or let it develop gracefully for another few years for some wonderful texture and a hint of honeydew.