Sliced apple, citrus fruit and white flower undertones. Medium-bodied, fresh and clean on the palate. Straightforward and fruity with a vivid finish. Drink now.
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One of the most interesting hotbeds of white-wine production in Italy is Collio Goriziano, a stretch of the hilly border of Friuli with Slovenia. Good growing conditions for white grape varieties, a penchant for experimentation, and talented winemakers combine to put this out-of-the-way area on the wine map. Two of the top producers in Collio are Marco Felluga and Russiz Superiore, both of which are now under the leadership of sixth-generation Ilaria Felluga, who is following in the footsteps of her father, Roberto Felluga, and her grandfather, Marco Felluga. Both Roberto and Marco are icons for the region and were responsible for holding Collio to extremely high standards of production and viticulture.
The Felluga family traces its wine industry lineage to the late 1800s, when Ilaria Felluga’s great-great-great-grandfather Michele started a business buying and selling wines in Istria (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). Michele’s son Marco added winemaking to the business, growing grapes and making some wine on the family farm just south of Trieste in what is now southwestern Slovenia. After World War I, Marco’s son Giovanni continued the family wine trade, selling Istrian wine in Trieste and in Grado in southern Friuli. He also opened a cellar in Gradisca d’Isonzo in Collio in 1938, but World War II soon broke out, disrupting life for a decade.
After the war, Istria became part of Soviet-dominated Yugoslavia, the family lost their farm there, and Collio became their home. Two of Giovanni’s seven children ultimately established wineries in the vicinity. Marco Felluga, after graduating from the renowned enology school in Conegliano, worked for his elder brother Livio for a while, before Livio left to open his own winery in Rosazzo. Marco stayed in the walled 15th-century fortress town of Gradisca d’Isonzo and founded his eponymous winery in 1956.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Gradisca d’Isonzo (Gorizia province), Friuli–Venezia Giulia VINEYARD: Collio area (Gorizia province), Friuli–Venezia Giulia VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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90
AUGUST 2023
Marco Felluga “Mongris” Pinot Grigio Collio DOC 2022
![]() Sliced apple, citrus fruit and white flower undertones. Medium-bodied, fresh and clean on the palate. Straightforward and fruity with a vivid finish. Drink now. 90
AUGUST 2023
Marco Felluga "Maralba" Ribolla Gialla Collio DOC 2022
![]() This is spiced and a little zesty with ripe apples and pears as well as white almonds and crushed herbs on the nose. Medium-bodied, crisp and tangy with juicy citrus and orchid fruit and a flavorful, sleek finish. Drink now. 91
JANUARY 2021
Marco Felluga "Amani" Friulano Collio DOC 2019
![]() The 2019 Friulano Amani lifts up with an exotic display of tropical citrus and hints of spice, then slowly settles and evolves to show ripe apple with pretty white flowers. It’s wonderfully poised and balanced, showing an attractive inner sweetness to its orchard fruits, contrasted by salty minerals adding a tactile feel. Hints of vanilla bean, peaches and mint linger, provided a fully satisfying finale. 90
APRIL 2023
Marco Felluga “Mongris” Pinot Grigio Collio DOC 2021
![]() The 2021 Pinot Grigio Mongris is stunning, with a whiff of sweet smoke and stone dust that gives way to peach skins and mint. This is round, supple and lively throughout, with ripe orchard fruits complemented by candied lime. It leaves vanilla bean and almond paste nuances while leaving the palate completely refreshed. 93
AUGUST 2021
Marco Felluga “Molamatta” Collio Bianco DOC 2017
![]() Honeysuckle, cooked apples, grilled pears, butter, praline and roasted hazelnuts on the nose. It’s full-bodied, rich and buttery. Plenty of spice and butterscotch. Opulent and toasty finish. Drink now. 91
SEPTEMBER 2023
Marco Felluga “Varneri” Merlot Collio DOC 2021
![]() A rich and toasty merlot offering dark berries, cocoa powder, sweet spices and tarry undertones. Full-bodied. Firm and structured but with succulence to the fruit and a supple, more fluid mid-palate. Juicy and rich finish. Drink now. 90
APRIL 2023
Marco Felluga "Maralba" Ribolla Gialla Collio DOC 2021
![]() Crushed green apples, sage and a spritz of lime form a spicy green-tinged bouquet as the 2021 Ribolla Gialla Maralba opens in the glass. This soothes with its silky textures as a core of brisk acidity adds a reverberation of tension. The 2021 finishes with a tart twang of citrus and saline minerals while keeping the mouth watering for more. Drink the Maralba for its energy or cellar it over the short term to reveal further depths. 93
APRIL 2023
Marco Felluga “Molamatta” Collio Bianco DOC 2017
![]() The 2017 Bianco Molamatta is seductive, with a rich mix of baked apples and pears accentuated by white flowers and almond custard. This is elegant, verging on opulent, but not quite, with oily textures hosting a mix of ripe tropical fruits. It finishes with admirable length and is spicy, leaving dried apricot and hazelnut notes to linger. The Molamatta is a blend of 40% Friulano, 40% Pinot Bianco and 20% Ribolla Gialla with extended lees aging that lasts up to a year. |