2021 Giuseppe Zorzettig Sauvignon Friuli Colli Orientali 750 ml

We’ll take Friuli, every time.

Sure, Sancerre makes the most famous Sauvignon Blancs in the world. Bordeaux, the most expensive. New Zealand, the most widely available. But when it comes to insider Sauv Blanc that offers SPECTACULAR bang for the buck, we look straight to this tiny corner of northeast Italy.

No Friulian Sauvignon Blanc has thrilled more Wine Access members than Giuseppe Zorzettig. It’s inspired multiple sell-outs and a small tidal wave of five-star reviews—and the 2021, from a growing season that Wine Advocate ranked as Friuli’s best since 2016, is one of the best they’ve made.

When we first tried this wine, in Rome, it was a dream with bruschetta and fried artichokes, and it’s absolutely unbeatable as an aperitif, or with halibut or shellfish. With aromas of freshly zested Amalfi lemon peel, ripe peach, and chamomile leading into a precise and cleansing palate, it’s a wine that will make fans of Sauvignon Blanc and Italian whites perk right up, then drink it down. 

Friuli is the picture-perfect region that Vino Italiano authors David Lynch and Joseph Bastianich said produces some of the “most complex and full-bodied whites to be found anywhere in the world.” It’s heaven not only for indigenous grapes like Friulano, Malvasia, and Pinot Grigio, but also for international varieties like Sauvignon Blanc. That’s a big reason why the area is always one of our first stops on our quest for stellar white wines.

More supple and generous than its counterparts from the Loire and Bordeaux yet every bit as aromatic, sleek, and energetic, the 2021 Zorzettig will leave you primed for sip after sip—and then a few more. No reason to hold back!