It’s not often during a tasting that a Master of Wine jumps up on a chair and pretends to be an aeroplane in order to make a point about the balance of a particular wine. But here we are at the Ca’ Bolani masterclass during the recent ZONIN1821 annual portfolio tasting witnessing Christopher Burr MW doing his best Boeing 747 impersonation.
Christopher Burr MW doing his thing at the Ca' Bolani masterclass
Burr is presenting a mini-vertical of two of Ca’ Bolani’s flagship white wines alongside winemaker Roberto Marcolini and UKSA's vice president Federica Zanghirella. He’s very impressed by the wines on show, particularly their balance between fruit, acid and body, as demonstrated by his outstretched arms.
Ca’ Bolani is located in the heart of the Aquileia DOC appellation in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of north-eastern Italy and is one of ZONIN1821's eight Italian estates. There’s a focus on Ca’ Bolani at this year’s ZONIN1821 portfolio tasting in London, offering an opportunity to showcase its famous white wines Opimio and Aquilis, demonstrating how well Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon Blanc fare in this part of the world.
The ZONIN1821 portfolio tasting
ZONIN1821 is well-known for its excellently curated Italian portfolio, comprising wines from its eight estates scattered across Italy (from Piedmont to Sicily) as well as wines from an exclusive selection of handpicked producers in Italy, Europe and further afield.
The tasting is mainly Italian, but it’s interesting to see wines from Champagne, Burgundy and South Africa represented too. “The UK market is very important for us,” explains vice president Michele Zonin. “It’s important we offer our customers as much as possible, and always high quality wines.”
The company has been operating in the UK for almost 30 years and, along with the USA and Germany, the UK is ZONIN1821’s most significant market. Its estate wines do well here, as do the Zonin ‘brand’ wines, particularly the Zonin range of Prosecco. “The estate wines are focussed purely on the restaurant market, while the Zonin brand is for on and off trade,” says Michele Zonin.
He says that there’s a trend in the UK at present for white wines from northern Italy, which plays nicely into the day’s masterclass of whites from Friuli. “The market is turning towards white wines, and also lower alcohol wines,” says Zonin. “Our white wines from Ca’ Bolani are doing very well, white wines tend to be more interesting.”
The group is also focussing its energy on the Ready To Drink and low and no sectors, with the launch of a 6% abv lemon spritz called Limoneto and a zero alcohol sparkling wine under the Zonin brand. There will be more focus on this area in the future, says Zonin.
Discovering Ca' Bolani
Back to the masterclass, where Ca’ Bolani winemaker Roberto Marcolini begins by explaining why the estate is so versatile and can offer an array of wines from the 11 varieties planted across its 570 hectares of vineyards. From Prosecco to the world-class Cru whites of the estate and a handful of reds, it’s all down to the soil, he says. This is a mineral-rich land; the whole area was historically under water so there's lots of sea bed minerals in the soil, which is comprised of clay, silt and sand. This richness is not only found in the soils and wines of the region, it’s present in its heritage too.
There’s a view that Aquileia is the birthplace of Italian wine, with evidence that wine was being made here over 3,000 years ago. Archaeologists discovered a cup containing grape seeds and traces of tartaric acid, offering clear evidence of winemaking dating back to a Bronze Age village in Terzo di Aquileia.
With history on its side Ca’ Bolani is keen to reflect this in its wines, and grows many indigenous varieties, such as Friulano and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, as well as international grapes.
“It’s important that we have indigenous grapes so we are able to reflect the culture and the tradition of the region,” says winemaker Roberto Marcolini. “But we also have to have international varieties,” he adds, “we operate on a global level in terms of distribution so we have to consider the needs of our international customers.”
It is wines made from Pinot Bianco (Opimio) and Sauvignon Blanc (Aquilis), for example, that are the focus of the masterclass, but if you visit the Ca’ Bolani table in the main room of the tasting you’ll find local and lesser-known varieties too. The portfolio is expressive and each wine has its place.
“We are a big estate and we have different terroirs across the estate,” says Marcolini. “In relation to each specific terroir we have to decide which variety is best suited, which is why we have so many plots of grapes to work with,” he adds.
The estate itself spans 890 hectares, with one third planted to vines. Every Ca’ Bolani wine is made exclusively from estate fruit with a planting density across the site of 3,500-5,500 vines per hectare. Because of this mosaic of vineyards it’s nicknamed the ‘garden of vines’.
There's a focus on sustainability across all of the ZONIN1821 portfolio
There’s a focus across the whole ZONIN1821 portfolio on sustainable winemaking and business practices, and this is evident on an estate level at Ca ‘Bolani where there are five sustainability pillars including respect for the local wine culture, protection of nature, and the promotion of innovations aimed at sustainable development.
“All the estates we own, and we're talking about 1,400 hectares of vineyards overall, are operated on a sustainable basis” says Michele Zonin. “What does this mean? No pesticides whatsoever, we only use water when necessary, instead of pesticides we use other plants to feed the soil. All our vineyards are managed this way, so this is sustainably done within the vineyard. In our company, sustainability means being inclusive with our people, making them part of the group, part of the family; we invest in team building and events.”
These are carefully - considerately - made wines which speak of place and heritage, but they are modern too and forward-looking. If Michele Zonin is correct about the UK market turning towards white wines from Italy, buyers and consumers would do well to seek out Ca ‘Bolani.
The masterclass wines
Ca ‘Bolani Opimio, 2020
Structured and pure with ripe tree fruit, spice and a brisk acidity. There’s weight here and a salty edge which drags you back in for more. Vibrant and captivating from start to finish.
Ca ‘Bolani Opimio, 2018
Bigger and riper than the 2020, this has the richness of an aged Alsatian white. It’s herby around the edges too, but the fruit is prominent; peach and pear. A dash of vanilla on the close.
Ca ‘Bolani Opimio, 2016
An outstanding wine. Galia melon fruit, white pepper spice, waxy lemon acid and a rich mouthfeel… this wine has it all. Beautifully structured and fresh for a wine almost 10 years old. Epic.
Ca ‘Bolani Aquilis, 2018
Classic Sauvignon green tingle on the nose; grass, asparagus. Spicy too with green apple and wood, crunchy pear. Chunky but reined in.
Ca ‘Bolani Aquilis, 2016
The 2016 is more mineral, sweeter, richer. There’s elegance here and more developed fruit; pineapple drops, plus dill and spice again. Grip on the finish.
Ca ‘Bolani Aquilis, 2014
This has aged majestically and proudly wears its age on its sleeve. There’s an oxidative note as well as pink grapefruit, herbs, lush tree fruits and a white pepper kick. “A meditation wine,” says Christopher Burr MW, one to drink while thinking about life. Spot on.
The Ca’ Bolani red wines
Ca ‘Bolani Merlot Friuli DOC Aquileia, 2022
Juicy and ripe with red cherry, strawberry jam and blackcurrant. Plush and refreshing, a summer red that’s full of life and crunch.
Ca ‘Bolani Cabernet Franc Friuli DOC Aquileia, 2022
Gritty and earthy with freshness and spice. Red berry fruit, a dash of herbs and liquorice, soft tannins and a long, graphite-studded finish.
Ca ‘Bolani Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso Friuli DOC Aquileia, 2021
Butch. A gusty wine, but it’s smooth and refined. There’s raspberry tart on the palate, and an earth richness beneath. There’s a lovely perfume to it too, savoury and tangy.
