PIGNOLO – A UNIQUE VERTICAL DROP

Together with vertical mastermind EMANUELE MUZZO

Embracing the early April chill, I part company with Friuli’s eastern hills, making my way westward.

To the north, dark clouds shroud Carnia’s rocky alpine peaks. Rain beckons for those less fortunate than I. Closer to sea level, I scoot across the dry asphalt lined by the lush greens of new season growth. Bisecting Buja before skirting Majano, Trivia and Susans (yes Eels fans, there’s a town called Susans), I finally reach San Daniele where the road gently veers southwest toward Dignano.

From there, traversing the iridescent shallows of the Tagliamento river, I proceed across the plain, through Rauscedo and heading on to Domanins and Castions. The dual Italo-Furlans signs for Zoppola / Sopula indicate my destination is nearing. Arterially speaking, both I and my little red 500 are delighted to be back in the heart of western Friuli.

The provincial capital, Pordenone, is just 9km away.

With not even hillock in sight, some would say this is not Pignolo country. In fact, most cittadini will tell you that it isn’t. But culturally speaking, all of Friuli Venezia Giulia is Pignolo country. Whether visibly cultivated or not, from mountain to hill to plain, its spirit is ubiquitous.

So why you might ask am I heading to Zoppola? Well, it’s from here that word spread of a very special vertical drop. An epic retrospective of Girolamo Dorigo’s Pignolo di Buttrio featuring no less than 10 vintages dating from 2008 back to 1990. Word of this nature needs no second thought… of course I’ll be there!

The vertical’s mastermind is Emanuele Muzzo. He is the reason we’re in Zoppola and not Buttrio. You see, this is not a Dorigo winery-led tasting. Rather it’s a Muzzo-community gathering.

As a professional sommelier for more than 20 years and as a fervent fan of Girolamo Dorigo, Emanuele speaks with kind, impassioned tones. He exudes a generosity of spirit that goes beyond the normal call-of-vinous duty. He is a sharer, a sharer of experiences. No wonder his tastings attract the attention that they do.

Explaining how his and Girolamo’s paths often did cross, it becomes clear how mutual kindness and generosity attract each other.

Girolamo was a sharer too. When the Manzanese master sadly took his leave in May 2023 it was no surprise when Emanuele stepped forward to devise this fitting tribute. And fitting it proved to be, ranking as the most extensive single cellar “Pignolo Vertical” tasting ever attempted. Featuring 10 vintages with three non-Dorigo Pignolo taste controls, all wines were served blind.

As testament to Girolamo’s inspirational way and Emanuele’s patient endeavour, herewith the glorious selection, in order of service. Click on each wine for a short descriptive commentary.

2008 Dorigo Pignolo

Youthful ruby tones, open, fresh forest fruits and florals. Fresh palate. At 16 years of age, the tannins are still in need of condensing and integration. Considering 2008 was an up-and-down vintage, there are questions about phenolic ripeness when picked? Worth retasting in 2-4 years to see if there’s any resolution. Quick aside: the first labelling using the name Alessio Dorigo, Girolamo’s son. The front label now just states Pignolo, more about which a little later.
ABV 14,5%

2006 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio

Intense, deep ruby garnet hues, bright, precise palate. Pleasingly elevated acidity, underpinned by savoury sapidity. Super, ripe, well-integrated, rounded tannins. Sensing the warm vintage. An 18-year evolution featuring leather with fine dusting of mixed powdered spice. Impressive energy it must be said. Much to look forward to.
ABV 14,0%

2005 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio

Bright, noticeably lighter weight compared to the full-bodied 2006. Linear, taut freshness. Pignolo acidity is impressive. Limited fruit in this one with waves of a more savoury sapid nature. Tannins well-knitted. Remarkably pleasing and easy drinking. At 19 years of age, a firm favourite with several tasters, me included.
ABV 13,5%

2003 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio

Garnet gem with a cornucopia of aromas: florals, mixed orange and red citrus, botanical bitters. Super juicy gum-tingling tannins. Noteworthy freshness and sapidity. Black tea, black coffee, spice. Deep texture. Multi-layered. A stellar Pignolo with much to savour.
ABV 14%

2002 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio

For a twenty-two-year-old, outstanding fresh floral bouquet. Formidable tannins, yet lovely integration. Silken, creamy. The underlying savouriness is pronounced. Curiously a vintage rarely seen on the table. Highly praiseworthy.
ABV 14%

2000 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio ‘Ronc di Juri’

Sublimely smooth, silky melting tannins with a fine acidic pulse. Sumptuous compote of forest fruits. Spiced, earthy, musky aromas. It tastes ‘and feels’ delicious. Lingering. Meditative. Cultured. Beautifully seasoned. Considered outstanding by most, including yours truly.
ABV 14%

1999 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio ‘Ronc di Juri’

One of THE great vintages of the 20th century. Remarkably youthful nose, lively mixed berried fruits, violet puff pot pourri, a lazy whiff of sweet tobacco. Vibrant palate, citrus bitters, black olive, tea, spice, china bark / liquorice root. Tannins beautifully woven. Notable fine powdered precipitation lining the bottom of the glass. Super stable on all counts and still brimming with future promise.
ABV 13,5%

1999 *BLIND – Walter Filiputti Pignolo Riserva Abbazia di Rosazzo

Our first blind is even more fruit-filled than that of Dorigo’s ‘99. So much so it blindly suggests a wine 10 years younger. At 25, this Pignolo has outstanding youthful stability. Palate corresponds with its fruit-forward nose, the berries on show are mostly straw and blue. Structured, beautifully modelled with fresh sartorial lines, tannins deftly woven with incensed complexity. Blindly, I believed this to be the craftwork of Filiputti, and it was duly confirmed. Quite majestic it must be said. ABV 13,5%

1994 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio Ronc di Juri

Initial fears of cork taint sadly proved decisive. It’s always a pity when it happens on such occasions. But knowing as we do the history of cork from the 1990’s, there is no real surprise. The feelers are out to find another from 1994.

1994 *BLIND – Le Vigne di Zamò Abbazia di Rosazzo

Our second blind control was slow to open. At 30, it’s completely understandable. Even if the fruit is reaching its vanishing point, the lean palate has acquired a refined, savoury consommé style density, with delicate spiced complexity. How sublimely fresh it is. With time to breath, it suddenly springs to life. Gorgeous melting tannins. I’ve tasted this savoury magic before. My blind suggestion is Zamò. And so, it proved to be. The wonderful work of Franco Bernabei. All things being equal, this ’94 has plenty more time to play with. I imagine tasting it in 2034. Dreaming on.
ABV 13,0%

1995 *BLIND – Le Vigne di Zamò Abbazia di Rosazzo

Our third blind surprise. Luminous garnet, buzzing with vitality. Wonderful fresh acidity, melting tannins, once again light in weight but with deft structure. A Pignolo nose and palate, hearty mixed fruit compote, balsamic, musk, leather, cacao. Feels simultaneously young & evolutionary, dang it, it’s yevolutionary. Bears the hallmarks of Zamò and Franco Bernabei. It is. Super.
ABV 13,0%

1993 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio Ronc di Juri

Coursing through similar structural veins to the Zamò ’94 & ’95, this is evolutionary gem underlining the value of Pignolo’s abundance of anthocyanins, acids and tannins. Pignolo Qi is a very rare blessing. At 31, this loveable 1993 is entirely alive. Chapeau Girolamo.
ABV 13%

1990 Dorigo Pignolo di Buttrio Ronc di Juri

Sadly the 2nd cork fault of the tasting, the 1990 was oxidized to a point beyond drinkability. (**it happens). Che peccato!

With Pignolo, the creative objective is to find FLOW, and this first mover selection clearly divined it.

Of course, thoughts quickly shift to the second and third movers, not to mention the new wave of young Pignolo makers. Might there be a takeaway experience from this tasting that could offer some shared learning?

Well, as it happens, there is. It comes in the form of an observation of Girolamo Dorigo’s original Pignolo label, which provides us with a rare glimpse into the working of a visionary’s mind. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, when estate bottling and labelling in Friuli Venezia Giuia was still in its infancy, for Girolamo to express a vision of Pignolo with such precision is noteworthy.

Pignolo di Buttrio, vigneto Ronc di Juri, Girolamo Dorigo

Studying his 1999 label, notice the prominence given to the grape variety, to the vineyard and to the townland location: see how prominently he scripted Pignolo di Buttrio at the top of the label just under the vintage year. See where he identifies his vineyard cru, vigneto Ronc di Juri, immediately below. By doing so, Girolamo is declaring clear intentions; he’s taking a qualitative path akin to that of Burgundy. Now see beneath, how he underplays the importance of his own name, using smaller, more discreet lettering.

This is the act of a winemaker who wishes his wines to speak more of their territory and terroir, and less of the one who made them. Local brand and regional identities are hugely important when devising a quality proposition. Girolamo was keenly aware. He was an instinctive, empathic, creative winemaker. A cultural champion. In every sense, he embodied the meaning of Pignolo. What’s more, his craft work continues to enrich the tasting of his wines. They are afterall a living reminder of his artistic way.

It’s amazing how quickly 46 years have passed since 1978 and Pignolo’s re-authorisation. *Infinite thanks for which must always go to the Nonino family.

Even when the 1995 DOC discipline was drafted and went on to introduce the new subzone of Pignolo di Rosazzo, ironically, there was no recognition for Girolamo’s Pignolo di Buttrio. I’ve always wondered why, when surely it was Girolamo’s inspiration that spurred the naming of the Rosazzo subzone.

This should have been the beginning of a broader vision. Looking at his old labels, I can’t help wondering how today’s new labels might have read, had the DOC discipline followed his cue. Imagine what might have been: Pignolo di Manzano, Pignolo di Gagliano, Pignolo di Spessa, Pignolo di Cialla, Pignolo di Torreano, Pignolo di Campeglio, Pignolo di Colloredo di Soffumbergo, Pignolo di Ipplis, Pignolo della Rocca Bernarda, Pignolo di Prepotto, Pignolo di Corno, Pignolo di Gramogliano, Pignolo di Oslavia, Pignolo di Farra, Pignolo delle Rive Alte and Pignolo di Aquileia. And of course, Pignolo di Buttrio!
Imagine, it could still be.

Of course, when all is told, the Pignolo story, like many others, is long and complex.

There are so many moving parts at play. What’s more, the EU has an increasing legal say. Yes, the 1963 DOC disciplines were qualitatively necessary. But in the 61 years that have since elapsed, they have become quantitatively rooted in economic theory and too deeply rooted in bureaucracy. There’s little room for creativity, little space for wine-making roots to grow either local or regional identities. I accept it’s not all the DOC’s fault. Nor is the EU entirely to be blamed. The fact is that current rules and regulations were inherited. They’ve grown old and weary. Copied and pasted for over 50 years, it’s hardly surprising.

I’m speaking for the vast majority when I say Pignolo’s DOC discipline needs revision. It needs energy if individual and regional identities are ever to benefit from creative new ways. Of course, I also accept and understand that change is far from easy. In fact, change is challenging. But just like evolution, it will not happen in a place of comfort.

To evolve, the Pignolo disciplinary challenge is asking whether or not collective experience has sufficiently ripened to allow discussion about typicity and terroir, to allow debate about the real value of place? For the record, Pignolo knows its place… (and its places).

Wherever you are Girolamo, thanks for your continued inspiration.
And thank you, Emanuele for such an unforgettable vertical drop.

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