I Clivi di Mario Zanusso, Ribolla Gialla “A Tessa”

The modern era of Friulian white wine has been defined in large part by wines that are neither modern nor especially white. Lately, Friuli’s most famous exports have been “orange” wines, many of them produced using truly ancient methods. And of all the “white” grape varieties in the Friulian tool kit, the one most readily associated with orange wine is Ribolla Gialla. There are various explanations for this, none of which matter today because this Ribolla Gialla from I Clivi is not an orange wine. It’s a white wine from the era before the current era, when Friulian white wine was defined by crisp, unoaked, high-acid varietal bottlings fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Wines that were crafted to preserve as much primary fruit character as possible, along with a transparent mineral core.  And Ribolla Gialla, regardless of its popularity with orange wine aficionados, is perfectly suited to this more crisp, clear, “conventional” white wine style (maybe better suit