Gravner Ribolla 2018
Gravner Ribolla 2018
1 - 2

Gravner Ribolla 2018

Gravner
$175.00

Grape: Ribolla Gialla
Vintage: 2018
Type: Orange

This orange wine is ribolla gialla from Joško Gravner's vineyards in Oslavia, on the Slovenian border in Friuli. The grapes ferment on their skins for about 6 months in Georgian clay amphorae buried in the ground. The wine then ages for about 6 years in large Slavonian oak casks before bottling, and is released roughly 7 years after harvest. Gravner is widely credited with reviving amphora winemaking in Europe.

It pours a deep amber-copper, opening with dried apricot, candied orange peel, and black tea. On the palate, the full-bodied frame balances concentrated fruit with firm, fine tannins from the skins. Honey, walnut, and a savory, smoky note sit underneath. A strong line of acidity keeps the weight lifted. It finishes long, dry, and savory.

Winery

Long-aged, long-lived, and profound, we invite you to discover the magic bottled in Italy’s northeasternmost corner. In the hills above Gorizia, in sight of both the Julian Alps and the Adriatic, Joško Gravner’s family has made wine in the neighboring villages of Hum and Oslavia for generations. Oslavia is a small hamlet near the town of Gorizia in the Friuli region, situated on the Collio. The estate covers 32 hectares, of which 18 are currently vineyards. The remaining land comprises woods, meadows and ponds.A highly acclaimed producer of technical, stylish Friulian wines early in his career, Joško underwent a crisis of faith in the mid-1990s, realizing he no longer enjoyed drinking his own wines. His perilous journey into the Caucasus mountains and his encounters with millennia-old Georgian viticultural traditions are well told. Still, it is no exaggeration to say that Gravner is among those who prevented millennia-old vinicultural practices from disappearing from his homeland.

“Little by little I started getting rid of all the extra equipment I had bought, starting with steel wine tanks and ending with barrique barrels. I don't think it is possible that, over the last few decades, five thousand years of winemaking history have been erased so easily.”

I make wines for myself. What’s left—I sell.’ Josko Gravner