#493 100 Grapes: Schioppettino

Nope, I'd not heard of it either but I'm really glad that I have now.  Nearly extinct after the phylloxera epidemic as farmers decided to focus on French grapes instead of their native ones, Schioppettino was given a leg up in the 1970's when the EU encouraged planting in the Udine province.  Today it is still mainly seen in Friuli, but has some plantings in Sonoma County in California.

2007  Azienda Agricola 'La Viarte' Giulio di Ceschin Schioppettino

The nose has loads of ground coffee beans coming out and big, juicy dark fruit - lots of damsons and brambles.  The palate is savoury, more of the coffee with a dark, raspberry and bramble fruit driven but supplemented with tarry, herbal woody elements.  A strange, almost clashing style of wine.  Lots of little points of flavours exploding in your mouth (I can see why the name 'Schioppettino' means 'gun shot') with sweetness and softness verses hard, black, charry flavours coming and then some gorgeous pure fruit at the end.  A bundle of brilliance in a bottle.  94pts