So… turns out that line is a lot more fun to yell at your laptop screen before a Zoom tasting than it is to explain afterwards to your family, who just kind of stare at you instead of responding with the only appropriate reply (“You gonna get the law on you!“).
Which, ok, fair.
But I couldn’t resist, because 1) I am not all that mature, and 2) the topic of this tasting was Tenuta Stella—a tiny, scrappy, organic producer perched in Scriò, right on the Italy–Slovenia border in Friuli’s Collio.
Stella is headed up by enologist/marketing maven Erika Barbieri, who (along with her husband) bought the place back in 2009, turned out their first vintage in 2010, and has been steadily expanding ever-so-slightly ever since. They started with about 5 hectares of whites, but are now up to 17 ha and making between 50k–80k bottles a year.
“We are in a very beautiful position between the Alps and the sea; there is always a lot of wind across the vineyard. We are very lucky in this way,” Erika explained. Which is another way of saying that mildew and pests don’t stand much of a chance up there, making organic farming a lot more feasible.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. 2023 was a “very strange vintage” due to a brutal hailstorm that wiped out 55% of their crop. That’s the kind of gut-punch that would send most producers to bed for at least a week, but instead the team bottled what they could. As Erika noted, the 2023s might not be their most “representative” releases… but honestly, based on what I tasted, if this is them on a bad day, then on a good one they must be absolutely f*cking dynamite…
2023 Tenuta Stella Malvasia Collio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, $27
Aged 80% in oak barrels. Production was low enough that they decided to put it into barrels (untoasted tonneaux). Barbieri noted that “this grape is known as an aromatic grape, but I don’t agree with this opinion.” Hate break it top you, Erika, but this one is pretty heady with its lemon blossom note, ripe citrus, and mandarin, and it is quite expressive on the nose. Good body, but also good freshness, with lots of ripe stone fruit, apple notes, and bits of tropical nuances. It stays floral throughout, but not in an overpowering way, and oscillates between sexy and elegant—but ultimately trends a bit more on the sultry side.
2023 Tenuta Stella Friulano Collio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, $24
Barbieri cites Friulano as “the most representative [variety] of the cellar. For me it’s the most interesting grape that we have here in the region.” Hailing from ponca soils (marl and sandstone), hand-harvested, and aged in stainless stell with a bit of skin maceration and some lees aging, it shows just-ripe tropical fruit notes, lots of ripe citrus, and hints of white flowers. Despite the lower acidity, the roundness on the palate is tempered by lots of minerality. So, in a somewhat paradoxical way, it feels like a very versatile food wine. Great length on the finish, with bruised apple and bitter almond, too.
2023 Tenuta Stella ‘Sdencina’ Rosso, Venezia Giulia, $27
This red blend is basically a Friuli native-grape reunion tour, almost: Schioppettino, Pignolo, Tazzelenghe (saved from extinction in the `80s) and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso (Red-stalked Refosco) grapes, along with some Merlot (“a little bit”), harvested together in early October. Maceration occurs in 15hl wooden barrels, without temperature control and with “wild” lees. The wine is aged in French oak barrels and barriques for twenty months before bottling. It’s a funky little firecracker, sporting notes of pepper, licorice, dried rose, cinnamon, cherries, and red plums. The palate is spicy and fresh, with white pepper driving the bus and enough structure to age a couple more years, if you want. But it’s already charming AF, and begging for a spot on the dinner table. And if you feel like yelling HEY STELLA!!! when you pop a bottle, well… you’ll be in good company.
Cheers!