Chardonnay "Memari" DOC 2022

A dry Chardonnay whose temperament oscillates between expansive ripeness and an extremely disciplined bearing. In the glass, deep straw yellow with bright highlights; on the nose, first flat peaches, ripe cantaloupe melon and wet pebbles. With further aeration, light tobacco, white pepper, acacia, beeswax, yellow oat plum and salty popcorn emerge.

Lauzacco lies in the Friuli Grave, not far from the Torre river and the Slovenian border. The soils are clay and gravel, combined with the microclimate between the Adriatic and the Alps.

Pure Chardonnay, 13.0% ABV, dry. Valter Scarbolo built up the estate from 1982 onward; in 2020 his children Lara and Mattia took over the roughly 30 hectares in Lauzacco, immediately converted to organic farming with biodynamic influences, reduced the operation by almost 50 percent and streamlined the range. Lara, trained in Udine and Bordeaux with stints at Franz Haas and Vie di Romans, is responsible for the vinification.

Focused and almost taut, with a vertical structure and fine-grained phenolics. Of the melon only the rind remains, of the peach the stone, of the tobacco an invigoratingly bitter aftertaste. The acidity is ripe and works discreetly in the background, setting the tone without stepping forward itself. Medium-bodied, with rich extract and subtle fruit in the long finish.

At Scarbolo, time is part of the equation: the wines age four to five years before going on sale. While a new winery is being built, the range remains a matter of craftsmanship rather than industrial standards.