Princic Pinot Grigio 2019

Dario Princic has farmed his Friulian plots since the late 1980s, working biodynamically on clay and sandstone soils north of Gorizia, and he is one of the leading names in orange wine. This bottling is single-variety Pinot Grigio, a grape whose grey-pink skins make it well suited to skin-contact winemaking. Through a long maceration the must takes deep colour, phenolic tannin and texture from those skins, producing the ramato, or copper, style that has a long history in northeast Italy. Fermentation runs on native yeasts with minimal intervention, and extended ageing with gentle oxygen exposure develops a dried, savoury character. At several years old this 2019 shows the settled, complex side of the style. The colour is deep amber to copper. The nose carries dried apricot, orange marmalade and apricot with an almond note, and the palate is dry and textured, with honey, dried herbs and a firm grip running to an earthy finish. Serve at 13 to 14 degrees, decanted. It works with roast pork, poultry and hard cheeses.