Marco Felluga Molamatta Collio Bianco 2012

A rare and exciting blend of Tocai Friulano (40%), Pinot Bianco (40%), and Ribolla Gialla (20%), the 2012 Marco Felluga Molamatta comes across as a truly distinctive white wine in flavor, substance, style, and quality. It offers an aroma redolent with the scents of stone fruits and minerals along with hints of exotic spices. On the palate, the 2012 Molamatta is rich in fruit and lush in comparison to other white Italian wines, and it offers a soft, creamy texture. Full-flavored but pleasantly dry, it lingers in the mouth and ends with a long, luxuriant finish that captures the savory notes of the fruit and distinctive aria condizionata of Collio, all of which leave the taster completely bedazzled. In typical Felluga fashion, a glass of Molamatta is an invitation to partake of the beauty and sunshine of summer in Collio. Served moderately chilled (40°-45° F), the 2012 Marco Felluga Molamatta is a rare and venerable treat and richly deserving of the 90 points it received from Wine Spectator. Enjoy!

Given the distinctive flavor and supreme style of the 2012 Marco Felluga Molamatta, successful accompaniments to this wine are many and varied. Some of our favorite choices include a range of seafood dishes, including scallops prepared in a myriad of ways. Whether the scallops are grilled, pan seared or baked in a traditional Coquilles St. Jacques, they pair splendidly with the 2012 Molamatta. Pan seared halibut served with a tomato and poblano confit, crunchy tortilla with tempura, and radish and horseradish slaw over a risotto cake with a sesame-mustard demi glace provides another tasty accompaniment to Marco Felluga’s Molamatta. Chicken offers another fine backdrop with which to showcase this wine. One especially simple but complementary dish to Molamatta is Oregano Chicken, whereby pounded chicken breasts are baked with lemon, butter, white wine, and oregano, and with just five minutes left to cook are coated with a thin layer of melted mozzarella cheese. Simple but delicious!

The Marco Felluga family has been fashioning some of Collio’s most enchanting wines for four generations, and now with more than a century of experience this estate is undeniably Collio’s brightest star. Located in the extreme northeast corner of Italy, sandwiched between the Julian Alps that border nearby Slovenia and the glimmering blue waters of the Adriatic Sea, Collio is home to more superbly crafted white wines than any other region of Italy. In Collio, the natural aria condizionata (the local name for terroir and all that it implies) provides Collio with the perfect climate for the cultivation and production of four of Italy’s leading white varietals – Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Tocai Friulano, and Ribolla Gialla.

Marco Felluga fashions Italy’s most acclaimed white wines, including Pinot Grigio from the region’s renowned Russiz vineyard – a Pinot Grigio that bears no resemblance to the limpid, almost tasteless Pinot Grigios of commercial producers. The folks at Marco Felluga also fashion excellent Tocai Friulano and an outstanding rare white wine called Molamatta (this month’s feature) from Collio’s Tocai Friulano, Pinot Bianco, and Ribolla Gialla. Although celebrated for white wines, Marco Felluga also makes small quantities of very fine Merlot.

For centuries the Collio languished in isolation and poverty, due to its position at the crossroads of Latin, Germanic and Slavic cultures and the shifting tides of political unrest that date to antiquity and continued until the end of the Second World War. Consequently, it was not until after World War II and Europe’s ensuing stability that the Collio began its meteoric viticultural ascent. However, its land has always been ideal for the cultivation of the vine and one of the Collio’s earliest and most renowned vineyards, Russiz, has produced extraordinary wines for centuries. In fact, in 1868 the Villa Russiz winery was established near Capriva to support a renowned orphanage. Today, Russiz remains Marco Felluga’s prized Pinot Grigio vineyard and the source of that estate’s single vineyard Russiz Superiore.

In addition to being the source of Italy’s finest Pinot Grigio, Collio claims several other award winning white wines most notably from Pinot Bianco, Tocai Friulano and Ribolla Gialla – traditional Collio grape varieties. These varietals are produced either as single varietals or blended in the case of Marco Felluga’s Molamatta.