2018 Ronchi di Cialla Friulano Collio

The “Ultimate Prosciutto Wine”

From the moment we stepped out of our rented Fiat on a misty morning in April, our meeting with the Rapuzzi family felt less like a business call and more like a homecoming: Ivan greeted us with a bear hug in the doorway of the 19th-century farmhouse. Then his mother, Dina, who founded the Ronchi di Cialla estate in the green eastern foothills of Friuli, gave us a kiss on the cheek and a platter of paper-thin San Daniele prosciutto before returning to the kitchen.

But one thing lingers in our minds and on our palates the most: the mouthwatering glass of the 2018 Ronchi di Cialla Friulano that Ivan stuck in our hand as soon as he ushered us through the heavy oak door. Laser-focused, sharp, and expressive, the vibrant white wine instantly invigorated us, absolutely sang with the salty prosciutto, and had us thinking of top-flight Chablis and—dare we say it—even Didier Dagueneau’s legendary Silex Pouilly-Fumé.

Bold words, we know. But when an off-the-beaten-path white wine does that for under $25, we’ve got a sacred duty to come through with an allocation for our fans of Chablis, Sancerre, and other crisp, precise whites. Ever since we pulled out of the estate that day, happy and full of home-baked bread and venison stew, we’ve been working to bring the estate’s tiny production to you. And we’re happy to report that your new, sleek, go-to white wine has arrived stateside, ready to please all year long.

There might be no family more closely associated with the indigenous grapes of Friuli than the Rapuzzis, who settled near the town of Prepotto in 1970. They took a significant gambit by focusing on local grapes—at the time, bottling certain forbidden varieties carried a credible risk of jail time (really!)—and six years later were awarded the first Nonino Risit d’Aur Prize, for their role in rescuing the indigenous Schioppettino grape from possible extinction. In 2017, Vinous even dedicated a retrospective tasting and article to Ronchi di Cialla, praising their range of “distinctive wines from native Friuli varieties.”

The love and expertise that saved Schioppettino extends to Friulano, the white grape that shines like lean Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, but boasts its own distinctive characteristics: stone fruit, a hint of spice, and a focused, minerally, savory finish. It pairs with a wide range of foods, and is especially delicious as an early-course wine: David Lynch and Joseph Bastianich, in the landmark book Vino Italiano, praise Friulano’s versatility, and call it nothing less than “the ultimate prosciutto wine.”

Ronchi di Cialla’s 2018 Friulano hails from 50-year-old vines, and is vinified like a crisp unoaked Chardonnay: in stainless steel, with three months of frequent lees-stirring. This brings out the creamy texture that performs an exquisite balancing act with the finely focused finish.

If the lean, focused, Ronchi di Cialla Friulano came from Chablis or the Loire, then Friulano would be a household name—and this bottling would fetch upward of $30, easy. That’s the beauty of a tiny, tucked away estate like Ronchi di Cialla. Sure, visiting was its own reward, and we would have brought you along if we could. But what you get—a fantastic $22 white wine to stock your cellar—is even better. 

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 12.50%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• 100% Friulano
• Serving temperature – 48°
• Cork