Marco Felluga 2010 Molamatta Collio Bianco
More than a century has gone by since the first Felluga’s history (Marco’s Great-grandfather) started making wine. Isola d’Istria, on the coast, was the production point of origin of Malvasia and Refosco. The Great War had just finished and it was a happy destiny that made the family set foot in Grado, on the other side of the Gulf, and then in Friuli. Only a handful of kilometres, but the scenery changed radically. It was here that Giovanni’s second to last son, Marco, as his grandfather before him, discovered, fell in love with and chose to live in that area called Collio which has always had the vine and wine at its heart. Marco began his training at the prestigious Oenological School of Conegliano and it is he who directed the family business towards the path of innovation with an emphasis on quality and research which is now carried on by his son Roberto, representing the fifth generation, with renewed passion and devotion. He is now at the head of the two prestigious wineries located in the Collio Doc, Marco Felluga in Gradisca d’Isonzo and Russiz Superiore in Capriva del Friuli.
The Collio is a special land, its landscape covered by mountains, streams and gentle hills. It is here that the family found it impossible to resist the pull of the wine and the land which they knew instinctively to be a soil rich with potential. The intuition proved true as this area would be one of the first in Italy to be acknowledged with the title DOC in 1964. The climate here is mild, thanks to the proximity of the Adriatic sea (30 km away) and the protection of the mountains, the Pre Julian Alps, with hot days and cool nights during spring and delicate and mild summers. Each hill has its own microclimate, and the soil, rich of marl and sandstone stratification, is the ideal habitat for vineyards and for the cultivation of the special grape varieties particular to the Collio Doc. This type of soil, called “flysch” (“ponca” in the Friulano language), is due to the phenomenon of the water erosion which took place 100 million years ago.
The Collio Bianco, which represents in a certain sense the wine-image of the Collio territory, is also one of the most important wines of the whole Marco Felluga family production. “Molamatta” is the geographic name of the place where lie the vineyards which provide this wine. Popping the cork on this wine I see a nice golden sunshine yellow color and aromas of crisp apples, Asian pears, and hints of early morning floral blossoms. This wine is comprised of 40% Pinot Bianco, 40% Tocai Friulano, and 20% Ribolla Gialla grapes. On the palate the fruit comes forth with an assortment of tropical fruit flavors as well as crisp apples with a slight mineral finish. Very elegant! I recently had this wine with a soft shell crab dish I prepared with some roasted vegetables and a Maque Choux topping. Delicious match! Be sure to put this one on your summer table for about $25.
Cheers!