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Walking the Roman Road to Beautiful Whites from Friuli!

Up to 96 points for these vibrant bottles

from Vie di Romans

2018 Vie Di Romans Dessimis Pinot Grigio

$32.89/750MLÂ (In Stock)Â Buy Now

96 JS / 94+ WA

2017 Vie di Romans Vieris Sauvignon Blanc

$29.99/750ML (In Stock)Â Buy Now

Â 95 JS / 94 WA

Situated in the eastern part of Friuli where a Roman road used to run between two towns, in the village of Mariano del Friuli is the winery Vie di Romans. Gianfranco Gallo might have preferred to use his family name on his wines, but a slightly larger American wine company discouraged him from doing that, so he settled for a name harking back to the long history of the area.

The winery is mostly focused on white varieties, with just a minute amount of Merlot and Pinot Nero being made, and each wine is from a single vineyard source. Extended skin contact and aging on lees, as well as extended aging is common for most of the wines. This gives greater depth and character to wines that are ready to drink upon release but have the potential to age and evolve over time. Elegant, linear, generous and taut, and can easily last a decade or more, if you can resist opening them for that long!

"This is an outstanding set of new releases from Vie di Romans. These wines represent one of the greatest value to price propositions found anywhere in Italy. I cannot recommend them more enthusiastically." -Â Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

2018 Vie Di Romans Dessimis Pinot Grigio

$32.89/750ML (In Stock)Â Buy Now

96 JS / 94+ WA

Beautiful rose-gold color with lots of ripe pear, golden apple, mango and pineapple on the nose. Hint of honey. Itâ€™s full-bodied and creamy on the palate with toasted almonds alongside tropical fruit. Smoky minerality, too. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

The Vie di Romans 2018 Friuli Isonzo Pinot Grigio Dessimis boasts a pale copper color with amber and peachy pink highlights. This vintage is not as wide or as texturally generous as the 2017 vintage also tasted in this report. However, the 2018 offers lifted, sharp fruit that is delineated and pure. Those subtle mineral nuances also appear with more clarity. There is tart berry, white cherry, wild mint and bitter almond. I also taste a mild tannic crunch. That structure comes from extended maceration on Pinot Grigio skins, as does the wine's pretty color. It would be interesting to check in on its evolution in five year's time. The wine ages on the lees for two months in French barrique. - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

2017 Vie di Romans Vieris Sauvignon Blanc

$29.99/750ML (In Stock)Â Buy Now

95 JS / 94 WA

Extremely fresh and intense with waxy and lemony character, as well as candied apples. Full body. Lots of fruit and flavor. Layered and powerful. Excellent depth and flavor intensity. - James Suckling

This was a vintage that saw reduced yields across the board with quite a few climatic challenges thrown at winemakers in Friuli. The team at Vie di Romans was evidently undeterred by the bad weather, instead producing a wine with some hot-vintage aromas of ripe apricot and honey that are well balanced against the fleshy richness of the mouthfeel. The 2017 Friuli Isonzo Sauvignon Blanc Vieris (which is aged on the lees in oak) shows softness and silkiness, all capped by abundant stone fruit, melon and pear. The results are impressive. - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate