Attems is a name that encompasses the history of wine in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Indeed there is documentation that confirms ownership of land dedicated to viticulture in Collio by the Attems dynasty dating as far back as 1106. The story of Attems is thus interwoven with history: from the Patriarchate of Aquileia to the County of Gorizia, from the First World War to the present day – it is owned by the Frescobaldi family since the year 2000. The estate extends over 44 hectares of south-facing terraced slopes to the west of Gorizia, protected both from the cold northern winds and the characteristic “bora” wind of Trieste.
The vineyards are located between the plains and slopes in the Province of Gorizia, at an average altitude of 60 m above sea level.
The soil is composed partly of Eocene sandstone, which was formed when the sea bed lifted 50 million years ago, and partly of deep alluvial soil with many pebbles.
Harvest was conducted by hand, between the end of August and the beginning of September.
The must obtained from the gently pressed grapes was left to decant for 24–48 hours. Subsequently, the clear must began its alcoholic fermentation, which took place at low temperatures (15–17 °C) for 15 days. Vinification was carried out in steel containers and second-fill barriques (20%) at low temperatures, thereby avoiding malolactic fermentation.
The wine aged for 4 months on the noble lees, which were regularly resuspended.
Winter 2022 was dry, with little rainfall and fairly mild temperatures, which gradually increased into spring, seeing the Chardonnay vines on the hills begin budding on 11 April, while the vines on the plains started 5 days later.
They were able to delay the opening of the buds by about 10 days compared to the local average using late pruning techniques, which were adopted several years ago.
Spring was characterised by mild temperatures and generally good weather, ensuring constant vegetation growth. The setting of the Chardonnay vines, which took place immediately after flowering at the end of May, transpired perfectly, thanks to the good weather and excellent wind conditions.
In June and July, the summer heat was mitigated by some beneficial rain, which allowed the plants to head into August without a significant water imbalance.
The Chardonnay harvest began in the hillside vineyards, 10 days before the vineyards on the plains. The first grapes were set apart by their higher sugar concentration and lower acidity, while higher levels of malic acid in the later grapes were detected.
To the eye, it has a nice, rich straw yellow colour. The aroma of Attems Chardonnay combines fruity notes of white fig, quince and mandarin with spicy notes of vanilla and coffee beans. The wine is soft and enveloping, with a good structure. In the persistent finish, hints of toasted bread and pine nuts come to the fore.
Italy
100% Chardonnay
cork
12.5%
