Conti Brandolini Treanni Friuli

This is one of my more interesting finds of late – it’s a blend of 3 grapes (33% Refosco, 33% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc), that’s also a blend of three consecutive vintages (“Treanni” = three years), resulting in a non-vintage release (even though the PA website lists this as a “2006”).

According to the winemaker, Count Brandolini (yes, a real Count), this creates a unique blend that “brings together the freshness of a young wine, the complexity and concentration of a two-year-old wine, and the elegance of a mature wine to yield this seamless composition of aroma, flavor and texture. [It is] vibrant and youthful, yet captivatingly complex and refined.”

I found complexity and elegance here, but I must say that I found the “freshness of a young wine” to be somewhat lacking (not knowing when this was originally released, I wonder if it was fresher at some point). The wine wasn’t vibrant at all, featured more ripe black fruit than bright red fruit (the label claimed both) and the acidity was rather muted. That said, it was interesting; it was one of those wines that changed gradually over time and offered slightly different experiences with each sip. On the downside, the dark fruit was a bit stewed.

This is definitely worth a try and a good deal at $10. I’d recommend buying a bottle, but probably not much more.

Tasting Notes:

Somewhat muted aroma leads with vegetal notes: broccoli, asparagus and a hint of graphite. Palate is dominated by dark fruits, perhaps plums. Despite the winemaker’s claim that this mixes vibrant fruits with mature fruits, I found it to be a little stewed. Finish adds some floral notes, violet as well as a touch of chocolate and spice. Evolved over time, which kept it interesting. Good QPR at $10.

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