Honeysuckle, lime curd, peach and cantaloupe melon on the nose. Some cardamom, too. It’s medium-bodied with a creamy texture and crisp acidity. Juicy and fruity with a spicy edge. 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 Pinot Grigio Collio DOC 2020
![]() Honeysuckle, lime curd, peach and cantaloupe melon on the nose. Some cardamom, too. It’s medium-bodied with a creamy texture and crisp acidity. Juicy and fruity with a spicy edge. Drink now. 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. 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. 91
APRIL 2023
Russiz Superiore Friulano Collio DOC 2021
![]() A compact white, silky in texture and enlivened by sleek, lightly mouthwatering acidity, this show flavors of poached pear and quince, mandarin orange peel and fresh thyme. Reveals mineral, milled white pepper and graphite notes on the finish. Drink now through 2026. ![]() NOVEMBER 2022
Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio DOC 2021
![]() The 2021 Collio Sauvignon from Russiz Superiore shows the dimension the region can produce in the variety. The wine has a great balance of fruit, herbs, and minerals — less racy and “grassy” than Sauvignon from New Zealand and more like some of those from France’s Loire Valley. Flavors of green apple, apricot, and lemon-lime are accented by touches of flinty minerality and herbs like sage and thyme. There’s a bit of creamy softness on the long finish, a reflection of aging on the leesand a small percentage of the grapes fermented in oak barrels. Aging takes place in stainless steel tanks. It is more expensive than many of the countless Sauvignons you’ll find from just about every corner of the wine world. But the price is offset by the fact that this is a singular Sauvignon Blanc that’s among the world’s best. 91
APRIL 2023
Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio DOC 2021
![]() A burst of zesty green citrus, sour melon and wild herbal tones introduce the 2021 Sauvignon. It opens with a pleasant inner sweetness complicated by salty minerality and a core of brilliant acidity that maintains fantastic energy throughout. This finishes tense, nearly crunchy in feel, with candied lime and rosemary nuances that create a sweet and sour sensation. I love the 2021s contrasting nature. Nicely done. 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. 91
AUGUST 2023
Russiz Superiore Friulano Collio DOC 2022
![]() Fresh acacia flowers and stones to the lemon zest and kiwis on the nose. This is zingy, bone-dry and salty on the palate, showing plenty of gastronomic allure to the limey finish. Drink now. |