In April this year, Eric Guido wrote: “In my opinion, the real thing to be excited about within the topic of Friuli reds is Schioppettino (which is pronounced skee’ohp-peht-TEE-noh), Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, and Terrano in the Carso, which is a separate variety of Refosco from Croatia. Each time I revisit Friuli, I find more to like within these categories. In the case of Schioppettino, expect to find a slightly peppery expression with violets and zesty red fruits.”
This is, of course, further endorsement after Ian d’Agata's comments back in 2017: “Friuli Venezia Giulia’s Schioppettino is one of the world’s most interesting and potentially great red grape varieties” and “in the right hands Schioppettino is able to weave an uncanny amount of liquid magic.”
We are therefore delighted to be able to offer the 2018 Schioppettino Monte dei Carpini, Giovanni Dri at £125 per six bottle case in bond.
You may recall that we offered the 2016 vintage of this same wine in May last year, hot on the heels of another Schioppettino in November 2020. What has been common to both those wines is that, while they will age, not many who bought them have yet allowed them to! Instead there has been a clamour for more good examples of this clearly tremendous grape variety from the north-eastern Italian wine region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The 2018 Monte dei Carpini is characterised by floral notes allied to pure, clean, refreshing fruit and a lifted cracked peppercorn touch, leading to a flowing, poised, light-touch palate, laced through with an engaging dark berry fruit intensity, all underpinned by gently-expressed, silky tannins; it really is such a compelling and moreish wine. In 2021, Simon confessed to having “rapidly become a fan of a little-known Italian red grape variety called Schioppettino”. This is now a confession myself and all of the team are making, as are many Atlas clients.