Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore Collio Pinot Grigio 2001

Wow. This is.. the best Pinot Grigio I have ever tasted.... Thank the Lord, this is real Pinot Grigio, and not one of those clear watery renditions or insipid fruit bombs, with no backbone, that they call Pinot Grigio, etc., etc. No, guys, this is the real thing a wine of distinctive flavor, substance and supreme quality. The tasting panel was unanimous in its kudos for the 2001 Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore Pinot Grigio because this is easily the finest Pinot Grigio we have tasted in years. Decadent fruit, balanced by a dry complex minerality, and a long luxuriant finish that bears traces of almond and an ethereal quality that can only be described as other worldly, puts this Pinot Grigio at the top of the pack. And to add icing on the cake, the Felluga Russiz sports the most beautiful robe we have ever seen on a Pinot Grigio: a bright 14 carat gold, with a flash of sunlight and a haunting glimmer. The 2001 Marco Felluga Russiz is truly a ray of sunshine in a glass.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall good Pinot Grigio provides one of the best aperitifs we know, which makes the 2001 Marco Felluga Russiz the best of the best. Indeed, this is the quintessential Pinot Grigio. Nevertheless, the tasting panel remains enamored of the Felluga Russiz with a variety of well-prepared dishes. Trout Amandine provides a splendid pairing, as do most baked, grilled, poached or smoked white fish. The pure fruit and zesty minerality of the wine enhance the fresh, delicate flavors of the fish, and the Russiz retains ample flavor to highlight a substantial sauce. Other excellent matches include flavorful chicken salads, made with mild curry, nuts or fresh fruit. Seafood crepes, Coquille St. Jacques, and light, authentic Piedmontese-style risottos present additional opportunities to let the 2001 Felluga Russiz shine. Enjoy!

Four generations of the Marco Felluga family have been fashioning some of the Collio's most enchanting wines, and with more than a hundred years under their belt they have got it right. Nestled in the hills of northeast Italy, sandwiched between the Julian Alps on the border with Slovenia and the glimmering blue waters of the Adriatic Sea, Collio is home to many of Italy's finest white wines. Here the natural aria condizionata as the locals call it, provides the Collio with the perfect climate for the production of a growing number of premium varietals. For centuries the Collio languished in isolation and poverty due to the shifting tides of political unrest, which began with the Romans and was followed by the Huns, Byzantines, Venetians, Austrians and an entire cohort of other conquering forces. It was not until after World War II and its 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 has always been Russiz. In 1868, the Villa Russiz winery was established near Capriva to support a renowned orphanage. Today, Marco Felluga produces its finest Pinot Grigio as a single vineyard Russiz Superiore. In our opinion, Felluga's Russiz is the finest Pinot Grigio in all of Italy, eclipsing all other contenders and pretenders. The Marco Felluga winery also produces Tocai, Merlot and several other outstanding Collio wines, in addition to the Russiz Superiore.