Grapefruit zest, green apples, limes and gooseberries on the nose. It’s medium-bodied, bright and fruity with a creamy, fleshy texture. Fruity and delicious. Drink now.
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In the commune of Capriva del Friuli, in the heart of the Collio Goriziano wine area on the border of Slovenia, is the estate of Russiz Superiore. Russiz as a place-name is traced back at least as far as 1273, when a certain Raimondo della Torre became the patriarch of Aquileia (basically, prince-bishop of Friuli). He named his estate Russiz Superiore due to its high (superior) location above the hamlet of Russiz. The estate passed through innumerable hands over the next several centuries, but was apparently known for most of that time as a source of fine winegrapes. In 1967, the property became available for sale. Marco Felluga—owner of a self-named winery in the nearby town of Gradisca d’Isonzo—recognized the superb potential of the vineyard land and bought it. He knew the estate, already famed for its Cabernet Franc, could become the jewel of the family holdings. So, rather than folding Russiz Superiore into the family’s existing vineyards, he decided to maintain it as a separate working estate, vinified and bottled as a distinct brand.
Marco Felluga represented the fourth generation of a wine merchant family that had begun plying its trade in Istria (part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) in the late 1800s. His grandfather had begun selling wine in Friuli after World War I, and the family ended up relocating permanently to Italian Friuli after World War II and the loss of Istria to the Soviet Bloc under Yugoslavia. Marco Felluga had founded his winery in Gradisca d’Isonzo in 1956 and was ready to expand with the purchase of Russiz Superiore a decade later.
Roberto Felluga, son of Marco and the fifth generation, took over the family wine business in 2000 and continued to elevate the quality of the Russiz Superiore wines through a more sustainable approach to viticulture and winemaking. His work in both estates was seen as beneficial by his peers across the region and Italy as a whole. Unfortunately Roberto passed away in the Fall of 2021, leaving his family's legacy and future to his daughter, Ilaria Felluga, the sixth generation of the family to oversee the wineries. Ilaria started working alongside her father in 2017, and today she is leading with a focus on sustainability and creating the highest quality wines possible, while gaining a reputation for her dynamic personality and devout knowledge of Fruili and her family's legacy in helping to establish it as a premier winemaking region.
Russiz Superiore wines use only estate-grown fruit—with several native and international grape varieties, mainly white but also red. To further distinguish the Russiz Superiore wines, the white wines generally have about 15–20% of the juice fermented in new oak barrels. Like wines from Marco Felluga line, they are designed to improve with age for several years. The well-respected Cabernet Franc vines also produce an excellent red wine for the portfolio.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Capriva del Friuli (Gorizia province), Friuli–Venezia Giulia VINEYARD: Capriva del Friuli (Gorizia province), Friuli–Venezia Giulia VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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91
AUGUST 2021
Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio DOC 2020
![]() Grapefruit zest, green apples, limes and gooseberries on the nose. It’s medium-bodied, bright and fruity with a creamy, fleshy texture. Fruity and delicious. Drink now. 96
MAY 2023
Russiz Superiore “Col Disôre” Collio DOC Bianco 2018
![]() Pi not Bianco, Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and Ribolla Gialla blend from the ponca or flysch marl soil of Collio, which brings to the wine a marvellous vibrancy and minerality that matches well with the wine's concentration. Subtle toasty aromas with rose and peach skin, a marine influence and bright fern scents. Soft, smooth, dense and rich, supported by elegant lifted acidity. The finish is still oaky, but your patience will be rewarded. Drink 2024-2040 Ale 13.5% 91
OCTOBER 2020
Russiz Superiore Pinot Bianco Collio DOC 2018
![]() An elegant white, finely knit and fresh, with a spine of sleek acidity and a spicy mineral underpinning, this is light- to medium-bodied, offering flavors of Fuji apple, spring blossom and star fruit. Hints of pastry cream and smoke play on the supple finish. Drink now through 2025. 2,000 cases made, 30 cases imported. 90
AUGUST 2020
Russiz Superiore Pinot Grigio Collio DOC 2018
![]() Hints of smoke and stone waft through this lightly creamy white, accenting Gala apple, citrus and blanched almond notes. Light- to medium-bodied and tangy, with a zesty finish that echoes the minerality. Drink now through 2023. 5,833 cases made, 150 cases imported. 93
JUNE 2022
Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio DOC 2021
![]() Lots of sliced green apple, lime and hints of crushed stone and some celery on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied with intense flavor and solid center-palate. A classic style of sauvignon. Drink now. ![]() OCTOBER 2021
Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio DOC Riserva 2017
![]() 92
NOVEMBER 2020
Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio DOC 2018
![]() The 2018 Russiz Superiore Sauvignon is a dry, medium-bodied white with vibrant, high acidity and rich, creamy texture. Its aroma is quiet, suggesting non-fruity notes of nuttiness, honey, vanilla, white toffee, smoke and flint along with lemon peel. But the aromatics that are reticent to your nose come alive in your mouth. The flavors run from white peach, tangerine, and grapefruit rind to fresh herbs, grassiness, and green apple, and these are all vivid and showing good concentration of flavor. A gentle, smoky note suggests the use of some oak, as does the creamy texture. In fact, 15 percent of the juice was fermented in barrel. The oak seems to have nuanced the wine in aroma and texture but has not subdued the fresh, lively flavors. 93
AUGUST 2021
Russiz Superiore “Col Disôre” Collio DOC Bianco 2017
![]() Ripe apricots, baked apples, lemon curd, vanilla cream and hazelnuts on the nose. It’s full-bodied with bright acidity and creamy, buttery layers. Salted butter and praline to close. A blend of pinot bianco, friulano, sauvignon blanc and ribolla gialla. Drink now. |