2021 Canus Ribolla Gialla Friuli Colli Orientali 750 ml

Attracting over 80,000 members of the wine trade from all over the world, the annual VinItaly convention is absolute madness, but it’s irresistible: Some of our greatest-ever finds have come out of there—and Canus’ Ribolla Gialla stands out as one of our greatest ever VinItaly discoveries.

Ribolla Gialla is one of Italy’s great native grapes, producing white wines of such intensity, cut, and nuance that they can command well over $100. It’s also exceptionally picky about location—boring if planted on flat sites, but thrilling when rooted in the hills of Friuli’s Colli Orientali, the home of the Ronco di Gramogliano site. 

Like the vineyards of nearby Miani and Roncho del Gnemiz, two of the most famous wineries in Friuli, Ronco di Gramogliano is blessed with treasured ponca soils, a mixture of decomposed sandstone and chalky clay, whose exceptional friability and high pH aid in creating wines that boast impressive texture and concentration matched to bright, vivacious acidity.

Canus pulls no punches when it comes to transforming that terroir into the best-possible wine: They farm sustainably, hand-harvest, and settle the must for 36 hours before fermentation—none of which are de rigeur in Friuli. Ditto with the minimum of nine months of tank-aging, plus more resting in bottle before release.

In Friuli, they’d pour this alongside frico caldo—a pan-fried potato gratin made with Montasio cheese—or an omelet loaded with parsley, tarragon, lemon balm, fresh mint, and sculpit, a local herb. We’re partial to it as a companion for richer fish, especially salmon and swordfish, or a big plate of wild mushrooms on toast.