2009 Silvio Jermann Rosso Red Angel on the Moonlight Venezia Giulia

Jermann’s 2009 Red Angel opens with dark, mysterious hints of tobacco, dark cherries, earthiness and incense. The wine fleshes out nicely on the mid-palate and finish as it continues to blossom with air. In this vintage the finish is especially round and polished. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. This is a somewhat mixed set of wines from Silvio Jermann. The flagships Vintage Tunina, Capo Martino and Were Dreams are less exciting in 2009 than they are in cooler years such as 2008, when less extreme weather balances some of the overtness that is typical of the house’s approach with the top whites. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to taste any Pignolos this year. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900