2006 Miani Merlot Filip

The 2006 Merlot Filip offers up floral red fruit, berries and sweet spices in a deceptively medium-bodied style. Today the wine is soft and approachable, a state that will exist for the next few months or so before the wine closes down in bottle and begins to put on weight. For now, the Filip has textural elegance and finesse to spare, with clean mineral notes that frame the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. Miani is one of the very finest wineries in the world. This tiny estate is located in Buttrio, a small town in the Colli Orientali appellation in Friuli that contains one of the finest – perhaps the finest – terroir for pedigreed, ageworthy wines in northeastern Italy. When I meet a grower with proprietor Enzo Pontoni’s passion for the vine I often wish every vintage could be a great vintage. If quality could be assigned based on sheer effort and dedication every vintage here would be profound. Pontoni releases just 7,500 - 8,000 bottles per year from 15 hectares of vineyards. Many of his plots are old-vine, terraced vineyards with superb exposures. I tasted Tocai, Merlot and Refosco from various parcels in August 2009 and came away deeply impressed by the sheer integrity of the fruit. Sadly, 2008 is a mixed bag at this illustrious property. The wet spring and ensuing bouts with peronospora left Pontoni with a difficult choice; either treat aggressively to try to save the year’s crop but risk the longer-term damage to the vineyards from excessive spraying, or let nature have her way in 2008, but preserve the health of the plants for 2009 and beyond. Ultimately Pontoni chose the latter, which meant renouncing a significant amount of fruit in 2008. There is no Ribolla, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Saurint and the production of reds will be tiny even by Pontoni’s standards. The 2008 whites are certainly pretty, but they lack the kaleidoscopic quality that informs the very finest vintages. The 2006 reds are without question the highlight of these new releases. Both Merlots are exceptional, which bodes quite well for the Rosso Calvari, a wine that will be released next year. Readers who want to learn more about Miani may want to check out my recent feature at www.erobertparker.com. Importer: Small Vineyards, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 933-6767

The 2006 Merlots look to be equally superb. As is typically the case, the Buri is significantly more backward than the Filip, but both wines are full of promise. The summer was hot, particularly during July, but later on in the growing season bouts of rain lowered temperatures and allowed for a leisurely October harvest. The 2006 Merlot Filip is austere and powerful. Blackberry jam, chocolate, spices and leather emerge from this refined red. The 2006 is painfully young at this stage and will require significant patience, but it is shaping up to be magnificent. In a word: awesome.