Livio Felluga 2024 Pinot Grigio Colli Orientali del Friuli 750ml

Livio Felluga knew his land in the Colli Orientali del Friuli inch by inch. Having emigrated from Istria, he established his property in Brazzano in the 1950s, buying up vineyards that had been abandoned after the Second World War and rejuvenating them one by one with a conviction that only a genuine rebirth of quality farming could bring the Friuli countryside back to life. He devoted himself to that work until his death at 102 years of age, and today is widely considered the father of viticulture in Friuli. His son Andrea Felluga now leads the 500-acre estate, continuing a legacy built on respect for the vineyard and an unwavering commitment to quality.

Pinot Grigio is, without question, the world's best-known Friulian wine, and Livio Felluga's expression of it has become the international reference point for what the variety can achieve when it's grown properly. The grape is a bud mutation of Pinot Noir, favoring cooler climates, and it finds its ideal home on the marl and sandstone hillside soils of Eocene origin that define the estate's terroir in Rosazzo and Cormons. Grapes are harvested entirely by hand to preserve the integrity of each berry, carefully destemmed, and left to macerate for a brief period — just enough to draw out the variety's characteristic pale coppery hue without adding grip or bitterness. The must ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel, and the wine rests on its lees for around six months afterward, enhancing savoriness, creaminess, and genuine aging potential.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded 92 Points; James Suckling awarded 91 Points, describing a wine that's "light- to medium-bodied, very silky, refined and savoury, with Mirabelle plum flavours and a tight savoury finish with a touch of bitterness." Le Sommelier's own tasting found "perfumed pear skin, white blossoms, tangerine" sliding along a sleek, watery palate, with "a gentle buzzy texture lingering through the saline finish" — calling it, memorably, "a gently confident grigio." The producer's own notes describe a yellow color with light copper highlights, an intense and harmonious bouquet of citrus, apricot, and linden flowers enriched with candied fruit and honey, and a pleasantly full, well-balanced palate marked by cherry pulp, golden apple, and mango integrated with elegant, pronounced minerality. This is Pinot Grigio the way it was meant to be made — from the estate that essentially wrote the modern rulebook for it.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Livio Felluga established his estate in Brazzano, in the Colli Orientali del Friuli, in the 1950s after emigrating from Istria — buying and painstakingly rejuvenating old, neglected vineyards that had been abandoned in the aftermath of the Second World War. His conviction that quality farming could revive the entire Friuli countryside earned him lasting recognition as the father of modern Friulian viticulture, a role he continued to fulfill until his death at 102. His son Andrea Felluga now leads the 500-acre estate, carrying forward his father's exacting standards.

The Pinot Grigio is sourced from vineyards across the hilly Colli Orientali del Friuli, primarily around Rosazzo and Cormons, planted on marl and sandstone soils of Eocene geological origin — terrain that gives the variety, a natural bud mutation of Pinot Noir favoring cooler climates, its ideal expression. Grapes are hand-harvested around the first ten days of September, then gently destemmed and left to macerate briefly — just long enough to preserve the variety's signature faint coppery hue without introducing excess tannin or bitterness. The must is then softly pressed, clarified by decantation, and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Following fermentation, the wine rests on its lees for approximately six months, a process specifically intended to build savoriness, creaminess, and genuine aging capacity, before bottling and a further period of refinement.

The 2024 growing season saw budbreak significantly earlier than the historical average, driven by an unusually warm February roughly 3°C above normal. A sharp mid-April temperature drop followed, though hillside vineyards — benefiting from slightly warmer conditions — were largely spared serious damage, while cooler-site vines that had undergone deliberately late pruning were less developed and therefore less vulnerable to cold. A notably rainy May required careful vineyard management to ensure balanced, healthy flowering without excess foliage, and a hot summer with above-average temperatures, particularly in July and August, carried the fruit to full ripeness.

Critics Reviews

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate — 92 Points

James Suckling — 91 Points:
"Light- to medium-bodied, very silky, refined and savoury, with Mirabelle plum flavours and a tight savoury finish with a touch of bitterness. Drink now."

Le Sommelier Wine Agency (extended tasting note):
"Perfumed pear skin, white blossoms, tangerine slide along the sleek, watery palate, with a gentle buzzy texture lingering through the saline finish. A gently confident grigio."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Yellow color with light copper highlights — the brief skin maceration's most direct visible contribution, the signature ramato hue Pinot Grigio is known for at its most refined and precise. Perfumed pear skin, white blossoms, and tangerine open the nose with delicate freshness, joined by citrus, apricot, and linden flowers. Candied fruit and honey add gentle richness, alongside beeswax and a hint of spice.

Palate
Pleasantly full and well balanced, with a sleek, silky texture running the length of the palate. Cherry pulp, golden apple, and mango integrate with an elegant, pronounced minerality. Mirabelle plum adds a refined, savoury dimension, with a gentle buzzy texture — the lees aging's most direct contribution — lingering throughout.

Finish
Tight and savoury, with a touch of bitterness that keeps the wine genuinely food-ready rather than simply pleasant. A saline, mineral-driven close persists, reflecting the estate's Eocene marl and sandstone terroir.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Aperitif, on its own
• Pasta with cream sauces
• Risotto
• Veal and chicken
• Fresh seafood dishes
• Shellfish, crab, lobster
• Fresh herbs and citrus-based dishes