Pignacolusse Jermann 2018

With Pignacolusse, made from pure Pignolo grapes, Jermann has made a real work of reappraisal of this rare native Friulan grape, so named for the characteristic shape of its cluster similar to pine cones, still grown only by a few enthusiasts of this variety The birthplace of Pignolo coincides with the hills of Rosazzo, in the province of Udine: great was his fame in the nineteenth century, being mentioned in the important "Catalogue of the grape varietes of the Veneto Reign", compiled under the administration of Vienna. At the beginning of the twentieth century Pignolo was, however, the victim of a progressive indifference, enough to risk of disappearing completely. It was in the early '80s that the discovery of some Pignolo old vines in the vineyards of the Rosazzo Abbey led some local producers to bet again on this native variety, able to give rise to very concentrated wines, strongly alcoholic, with tannins that favors a long evolution over time. One of these pioneers was precisely Silvio Jermann, who saw immediately, in the vinification of this grape variety, the opportunity to create a great red to be distinguished for its pure regional typicity and authenticity. Complying with the austere and determined characteristics of Pignolo, Jermann relies on long macerations, with intense contact between must and grape skins, and a slow aging in oak barrels, sending on market the Pignacolusse only after three years from harvest to ensure an evolution of deep complexity.