Marco Felluga 'Russiz Superiore' Pinot Grigio Collio DOC, 2018

100% Pinot Grigio. Let's get the 'noise' out of the way: The largest volume selling wine in America (which, by the way is the largest volume consumer of wine in the World) is Pinot Grigio.  If you're like most of our staff and friends in the business, this is a pretty good reason NOT to drink it.  And, if we follow this instinct, while we will avoid the ocean of bulk wine motivated purely by profits, we also miss out on some of the most haunting, age-worthy, textured, delicious wonder from discreet and special places like this wine, The Marco Felluga 'Russiz Superiore' Pinot Grigio Collio DOC, 2018.

My VISIT to the Marco Felluga ESTATE:  Indeed, I have been blessed to travel through much of Italy on the wine route, if you will, and I have NEVER found a more beautiful place than this small district in the Northern stretches of Italy up near the Slovenian border.  After a long week a year ago, I woke up to the above sunrise on my final morning before departing.  Reflecting on the delicious evening the night prior, my senses overwhelmed, I was again taken with the pure emotion that comes only from drinking aged wine.

The WINE: Indeed, during dinner, a cellarmaster at the Marco Felluga Estate who was sitting with us for supper, stepped away from the table.  We learned later that he had excused himself to the Cellar from which he emerged with a brown paper covered bottle of wine.  After pouring us about 2oz each, he asked simply: what year do you think this is?  The boldest answers: is this 2001? Is this... [group trails off]...it became clear that the wine was 1) FRESH as a DAISY; 2) DEEP in COLOR; and 3) RARE in its COMPLEXITY...oh, AND: we had absolutely no f$%#ing idea of the vintage.  The ANSWER: 1985.  Sigh...

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