#374 Friuli Part 3, Vie di Romans

The Kings Speech is a movie (if you haven't seen it or read about it) about King George VI, a man who was never meant to be the king of Great Britain, taking on the role after his elder brother, Edward VIII abdicated to marry a divorcee.  George had not been groomed into the role as his brother had, and had an exceptionally bad stutter that was he managed to overcome by the help of an Australian speech therapist called Lionel Logue.  Essentially, Edward was the polished prepared heir, and George was the slightly battered but ultimately greater 'spare'.

Italy should be a bit scruffy and chaotic.  I don't say that to be derogatory about the nation, far from it, I like it.  Go to Venice for example.  This city is the destination for the rich and famous, it costs a small fortune to live there due to the fact that everything has to be hauled through the streets by hand or on the ridiculously expensive boats.  Yet the city itself is falling to bits.  The buildings have rotting shutters, the building's exterior plaster is falling off with chunks missing, the place is a bit grotty, yet it is a city that rich folk flock to.  Similarly in the countryside, I like the dirt tracks, the old Lamborghini tractors spluttering up the mountain roads with a dozen cars behind and faded Campari posters from the 1970s.  I want to see old shacks at the side of the road selling melons, flouting every EU health and safety law, I love that people drive battered old Fiats, and I want my vineyards a little bit scruffy.

Which got me off to a bad start at Vie di Romans.  Not only was the winery immaculate, but the vineyards were perfectly manicured.  The vines were of uniform height, as if someone had gone over them with a ruler, and I have never seen less gnarly vines in any vineyard, anywhere.  There were only two things that were remotely out of place and that was a cat wandering around the vineyards and someone driving an Alfa Romeo across a field.  Everything was almost Germanic in its uniformity.

But that doesn't mean anything except that the owner may be a stickler for detail,  the important thing was the wine.  But that too was a bit of a let down.  There is not a bad wine in their range, but they just lack the bit of soul that we found later at Specogna and Livio Felluga.  This place, and it's wines, reminded me of Edward VIII, he should be the king of his realm, and is groomed to be such, however there is a slightly scruffier, less polished, more human king sitting on the throne, doing a much better job than Edward could have ever done.

2009 Vie di Romans Piere Sauvignon Blanc
Bright and floral with subtle fresh summer flowers.  A little bit of lemon cake coming off the nose.  A little nectarine too with a touch of chalk.  Light, refreshing and then it fills with a bit of full on stone.  Then you get some dusty rock, a bit of peppery spice and then some quite agressive alcohol.  The finish is  clean pithy element and jut a bit of smoke. 86pts

2009 Vie di Romans Vieris Sauvignon Blanc
A fuller, more fruity aroma with brighter Tooty Frootie aromas. The palate has a dry, ripe pineapple element with some pithy, tropical fruit flavours. 85pts

2008 Vie di Romans Flors di Uis
A blend of Malvasia, Friulano and Riesling, this was bright and pretty with some lovely floral and pear aromas.  Some oriental spice, a little bit of jasmine.  Very nice palate, slightly limey with some really delightful spice notes.  There is a bit of grapefruit pith, a little zingy, zesty fruit and then some peach stone elements on the finish.  Very tasty. 89pts

2009 Vie di Romans Chardonnay
Again, very pretty with some more jasmine coming off.  There is oak too, but not agressive, and then some melon skin and mango.  The palate is very well made, some really tasty tropical fruit with subtle use of oak, but the finish is just a bit flabby. 87pts

2009 Vie di Romans Dessimis Pinot Grigio
A ramato wine with some very subtle darker spice and some tea elements too.  The is a balanced wine, some peppery flavours with a light savoury note and with dirty lemon skins and pencil on the finish. 86pts

2009 Vie di Romans Ciantons Merlot Rose
Soft, slightly like tutti fruittis with a little bit of strawberry on the nose.  The palate is slightly herbal, with a little vegetal flavour coming through but with then the finish has lovely simple fleshy fruit and with a touch of bitter minerality on the back end. 87pts

2008 Vie di Romans Dut 'Un
This wine, a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon, had a lot of oak, some pencil and lemon coming off.  A little bit of grass too .  The Sauvignon gives this an elderflower element mixed in with the tropical fruit from the Chardonnay.  It is almost like a fruit salad with nectarines, peaches and a little bit of elderflower.  A little bit of rock on the back end.  Interesting and the best of the bunch. 90pts

Vie di Romans