Le Monde Pinot Bianco 2022 750

Pinot Bianco is called Pinot Blanc in France (mostly Alsace) and the U.S. and Weiszburgunder in Germany. It is a genetic mutation of Pinot Noir, a varietal that mutates readily. The French and American style features spicy character and creamy texture, while Italian versions tend to have zippier acidity with pear and citrus flavors. This one is somewhere in the middle. Le Monde was the wine-growing side of Villa Giustinian in Portobuffolè, an ancient village documented in 997 as a castle and river harbor of the Venetian Republic. The villa no longer exists. Le Monde is characterized by a calcareous clayey soil that differs from the typical gravel soils of Friuli. Owner Alex Maccan attended the Institute of Furniture and Design and first worked at his father’s kitchen company, passing vineyards on his way to work. His grandparents were farmers, and young Alex had spent a lot of time with them and loved the land. One morning in 2008, a ‘For Sale’ sign caught his attention. The Le Monde winery, one of the vineyards he passed every day, had come on the market. Alex found the buildings and the land in need of a lot of attention, but within months he was the proud owner of 20 hectares of vineyards and a farm. Several acquisitions expanded the holdings to 70 hectares with 30-year old vines planted 3500 per hectare. Unusual for whites, it sees a 24 hour cold maceration before pressing and fermentation and is aged several months on the lees. Straw yellow color. It is fresh and open-knit with stone and smoke notes underscoring lovely flavors of glazed apricot, lemon curd, and honey.