2015 Miani, Friuli Colli Orientali, Malvasia (RT95) The stunningly textured 2015 Malvasia overwhelms the olfactory senses and coats the mouth with its perfectly proportioned characteristics. Complex, magically balanced notes of golden delicious apples, white currant liqueur, crisp Hami melon and clouds of minerality swirl out of the glass. The palate weight and texture have evolved to reflect Enzo’s world class winemaking, delivering a weightless characteristic, with soft and gentle acids to balance the finish. This is a fabulous, bone dry expression of the versatile Malvasia grape, but it is hard to find and will set you back over $100 today for the current release vintage. Drink now-2032 Tasted December 2025
Enzo Pontoni is the genius behind this extraordinary winery, and today his wines are all bottled as single vineyard expressions. He is noted for having legendary low yields – in the range of 10 hectoliters/hectare (one glass per vine) – as he refuses to compromise his ideas of clean viticulture and respecting the environment first and foremost. Similarly, he has been known to skip a vintage or a wine without a second thought. Each parcel is handled uniquely and with pride, from the vineyard to your cellar.
One of the rarest wines crafted by Pontoni, his Malvasia is sourced from the Mont di Zuc vineyard, which rises out of marl, locally called Ponca, a soil type that keeps the humidity stable and helps preserve the grapes from drought, mixed with stones. Once bottled as simply Malvasia, today it is labeled Mont di Zuc in honor of its single vineyard sourcing. The grapes are pressed softly for 2 hours, then fermented in French oak for at least 12 months in barrel, of which 2/3 are used (neutral) barrels. Prior to 2020 his wines went through complete malolactic fermentation, but today Enzo no longer permits his wines to go through malolactic fermentation.
