2019 Borgo del Tiglio: ‘one of the world’s greatest estates’

14 Jul 2021

Crafted, chiseled, ageworthy whites

'Borgo del Tiglio is one of the world's greatest estates. Proprietor Nicola Manferrari crafts brilliant, chiseled whites built on saline-infused minerality and energy that capture the essence of some of Friuli's most compelling terroirs.' - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com

The optics of my arrival at Borgo del Tiglio were not promising; it was cold, after dark and bucketing rain. But soon I found myself entirely captivated by a lesson in terroir, viticulture and winemaking. Behind Nicola Manferrari's dry delivery was a wealth of insight, scientific rigour and inspiration; his highly precise but powerful wines electrified my palate. Over the last forty years, from a small corner of Friuli's Collio, on the Italian border with Slovenia, Borgo del Tiglio has carved out a world-class reputation for its wines.

Nicola never intended to be a winemaker; he trained as a pharmacist. But when his father died suddenly, he stepped in to make that year's grapes into wine - and got hooked. He brought his scientific mindset to the sublime old sites his grandfather had worked. He put the local Friulano variety on the world wine map with delicate, elegant, complex and slightly savoury expressions. Ronca della Chiesa has become a benchmark single varietal Friulano bottling, described by Ian d'Agata as 'one of Italy's best twenty or so whites in practically every vintage'. Malvasia is another local speciality; Italo & Bruno comes from a vineyard once owned by two brothers (who hated each other). It is luscious and textured, packed with floral and stonefruit aromas.

But in an era when the local is the rage, Nicola also takes exception to Friuli wineries removing international varieties. He insists that the only criterion for judging whether to keep a grape variety should be the quality of the genetic material; Borgo del Tiglio is also famous for its world class Chardonnay. And he is quick to point out that varieties like Chardonnay and Merlot have been in Italy for much longer than most people realise, and in some areas have arguably 'gone native' with distinct local clones. There is no arguing that the estate's full-bodied, intense and mineral Sauvignon Blanc is very different from French Sauvignon. Also in the portfolio, the Collio Rosso is a distinguished Bordeaux blend, and the Collio Bianco is a bright, high-energy blend of Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and the local Riesling clone, Riesling Renano. These days, Nicola's son Mattia is deeply involved in every aspect of winemaking here, and is preparing to succeed his father. Mattia notes that 2019 gifted the estate a small but top quality harvest, which has led to finely textured wines with powerful aromas. /NT