Il Roncal, Friulano and Ribolla Gialla 2019

 Time for a return to the producer Il Roncal in Friuli in Italy. I have received two new vintages of the white wines Friulano and Ribolla Gialla from the vintage 2019.

Il Roncal is a wineproducer situtated in Cividale del Friuli in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia close to the border of Slovenia. This wine producing area is know as Friuli Colli Orientali. Il Roncal own 20 hectars of vineyards on the Montebello hill. The winery name comes from a local Friulian expression meaning “estate on a hill cultivated in terraces” (also known as “ronchi”).Il Roncal was founded in 1986 by Roberto Morealo and is run today by his wife Martina Moreale. They produe several different wines and here I will focus on two white wines amde from two local grapes called Friulano and Ribolla Gialla.

The first wine is the Friulano from 2019. Friulano from Friuli-Venezia Giulia was known as Tocai Friulano until March 31, 2007 when the European Court of Justice prohibited of using the name Tocai in the name of the wine^. Since 2007 Tocai Friulano is merely known as “Friulano” in Friuli and is labeled as such.This is a quite aromatic grape. For the production no oak is used. The ABV is 13%. In the taste I get honey, minerals, pear and citrus. All the flavours are in a very good combination. Perfect for warmer weather or spicy food. Would love to try a sweet version of this grape.

The second wine is the Ribolla Gialla 2019 with an ABV of 12,5%. It is made from the grape Ribolla Gialla which is mostly grown in Friuli. In Slovenia this grape is known as Rebula. The first written documentation of the grape was in 1289 so it has been around for many years, In the taste I get per, elderberry and citrus. This is an excellent fresh and young Ribolla Gialla and an excellent vintage.

Il Roncal continues to show a high quality in their winemaking and so far all their wines have been very good to excellent. 

Il Roncal, wine from Friuli, part 4

I thought that I had reviewed all available Il Roncal wines available for me but going through my old reviews I saw that  had forgotten to write about their wine Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. But first, who are Il Roncal?

Il Roncal is a wineproducer situtated in Cividale del Friuli in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia close to the border of Slovenia. This wine producing area is know as Friuli Colli Orientali. Il Roncal own 20 hectars of vineyards on the Montebello hill. The winery name comes from a local Friulian expression meaning “estate on a hill cultivated in terraces” (also known as “ronchi”). Il Roncal was founded in 1986 by Roberto Morealo and is run today by his wife Martina Moreale. They produe several different wines and here I will focus on the red wine Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso of the vintage 2015.

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is a red grape variety that is mostly grown in the are of Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy and from what I have read it looks like this grape is indigenous to Italy. It seems to be related to such grapes as Teroldego and Lagrein and is one of the parents to the grapes Corvina for example. For the Il Roncal wine the grapes are grown at 180 meters above sea level and only Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is used. The wine is stored in Bottis of the size 25hl for a year before being bottled and stored on the bottle for at least three months. The ABV is 13,5%.

The colour is ruby red with some violet colour. The taste is of black cherry, black currant, some plum and tannins in the back. Everything is very well integrated and the aftertaste lingers a long time. This is an excellent wine ready to be drank now. I should buy some more of his vintage so I have in the upcoming years.

Il Roncal, wine from Friuli, part 3

This is the third part about the wine from producer Il Roncal in Friuli, Italy. This time I look into a sauvignon wine and two red wines made from indigenous wines.

The Sauvignon wines that is produced in some parts of Italy such as Friuli and Trentino-Alto Adige is quite different from other Sauvignon wines that I have tasted. In Chile for example I get a lot of gooseberry and they are not very balanced. While the Sauvigno wines from Friuli for example I find much more balanced. The Il Roncal Sauvignon is from 2017 and has an ABV of 12,5%. The grapes are pressed and fermented normally and then transferred into a steel tank for three months of refinement. I get a crisp and fresh aromatic nose, one can say that it is a Sauvignon just from the nose. The taste is very fresh and crisp with notes of gooseberry, tropical fruit, some grass and melon. A very good and balanced sauvignon.

The next wine is the red wine Pignolo from 2011 and the ABV is 14%. Pignolo is an autochthonous grape variety in Friuli. The name Pignolo comes from the Friulian dialect pignul. The grapes undergo a maceration period of 15 days. Then the wine is transferred into small French oak barriques  for 48 months. Finally it is transferred into steel tanks for 5 months and then bottled and stored for six months before it can be sold. That is quite a long period of at least five years. So how is the taste? I get dark fruits especially black currants with well integrated oak and tannins after nine years. Quite complex and very good.

The last wine is yet another autochthonous grape from Friuli. It is the grape Schioppettino and the vintage of this bottle is 2015. The maceration period is 15 years. Then the wine is stored in second cycle barriques for 24 months. Then it is bottled and lies on the bottle for 3 months before being sold. On the nose I get a lot of black fruits such as blueberry. In the taste there is also a lot of black fruits such as blueberry, blackberry and plum. After some time also some black currant appears. It is not a heavy wine but a medium balanced wine. A very good wine also.

Il Roncal has several more wines than the ones I have tasted in this three part series but these wines will probably wait until I have a chance to visit the producer in Friuli.

Finally s video of Martina Moreala talking about some of the wines of Il Roncal can be seen below, it is in Italian.

Il Roncal, wine from Friuli part 2, sparkling wines

Time for the second part about the wines from producer Il Roncal in Friuli, Italy, close to the border of Slovenia. This time my focus is on their sparkling wines.

The first sparkling wine is the Aurerum Ribolla Gialla Brut. For this sparkling wine the first fermentation is done in stainless steel tanks for 8-10 days. After that the wine ferments in pressure tanks for 180 days until the pressure reaches 6 bar, then it is bottled. The ABV for the bottle I have is 12%. In the taste I get citrus and some apple with brioche. This is a nice dry sparkling wine that goes well with fish for example or just as an aperitivo.

The second sparkling wine is the Argenteum Extra Dry. For this sparkling wine Il Roncal uses 50% Chardonnay and 50% Ribolla Gialla. The first fermentation is done in stainless steel tanks for 8-10 days. After that the wine ferments in pressure tanks for 60 days until the pressure reaches 6 bar, then it is bottled. For this wine I get a lot of brioche, apple and citrus and the mouthfeel is very dry. Yet another good sparkling wine from Il Roncal. May be too dry for some people.

The last sparkling wine is the Roseum Demi Sec which is a sparkling rose wine. The grape used for this wine is 100% Schioppettino, a rare red wine grape from Friiuli. For this wine wine they do the same fermentation and pressurisation as the Ribolla Gialla brut. I get a taste if rasperry, strawberry and some citrus. A very good rose sparkling with a very good structure. It went very well together with salmon and herring.

The region Friuli Venezia-Giulia is not known for their sparkling wine but it is a regions that produces very good sparkling wine. But it is hard to find it outside of Friuli Venezia-Giulia.

Il Roncal, wine from Friuli part 1

Il Roncal is a wineproducer situtated in Cividale del Friuli in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia close to the border of Slovenia. This wine producing area is know as Friuli Colli Orientali. Il Roncal own 20 hectars of vineyards on the Montebello hill. The winery name comes from a local Friulian expression meaning “estate on a hill cultivated in terraces” (also known as “ronchi”).Il Roncal was founded in 1986 by Roberto Morealo and is run today by his wife Martina Moreale. They produe several different wines and here I will focus on two white wine and one red wine.

The first wine is a red Merlot wine from 2015. For this wine 20% of the wine has been aged in oak tonneaux for one year before being mixed together with the rest of the wine. The wine then rests for three months on the bottle before being sold. In the taste I get black currant with some earthy notes and tannins in the end. A nice Merlot.

The second wine is a Friulano from 2018. Friulano is a native grape to Friuli Venezia Giulia. For this wine only steel tanks are used for storing and fermentation. In the taste I get honey, lime and tropical fruits in a good light fresh white wine.

The third wine is the the white wine Ribolla Gialla from 2017. Also Ribolla Gialla is a native gape of Friuli Venezia-Giulia and also here steel tanks has been used for fermantation. The taste is of pear, minerals and this wine is fresh and quite harmonius.

Three very good wines from Il Roncal and in the second part I will go into their sparkling wines.