When winemaker Mario Schiopetto passed away three years ago, he left behind a powerful legacy.  His pioneering efforts put the Friuli region, in far northeastern Italy, on the map as one of the world's great white wine regions.  By extension, he enabled Italy to become a credible player in the world of fine white wines.

Schiopetto led by example, making fresh, clean wines--a revolutionary concept when he began bottling wine in the mid-1960s--that express the flavors and the character of Friuli's Collio wine zone, one of the two best vineyard areas in the region.  He worked mainly with local grape varieties and made mainly unoaked whites, although he dabbled a bit with oak fermentations.  His wines are, in a word, great.  Now his son and daughter run the winery, and clearly have continued the tradition of greatness.

If I tasted a whole line-up of Schiopetto 2004s, maybe I would find one I liked even more than this Pinot Bianco, but this wine is so good and so satisfying that further research seemed unnecessary.  Lowly Pinot Blanc is the wine that textbooks describe as "neutral," and suggest, between the lines, is useful mainly as a high-acid palate-cleanser between bites of food.  People who write that have obviously not experienced the character that Pinot Blanc can achieve in Northeastern Italy.  Here is Pinot Blanc that makes you sit up and pay attention.

The 2004 Schiopetto Pinot Bianco is a dry, somewhat full-bodied, unoaked white with rich, viscous, slightly oily texture that's probably due to the fairly high 13% alcohol level.  The wine also has crisp acidity that enlivens its taste.  When you first sip the wine, you're likely to notice its fresh vibrancy more than its rich texture and weight; the weight is a secondary impression.  The yin-yang interplay of the wine's richness and lively crispness is a key indication of the wine's quality and class.

This wine's aromas and flavors are not intense, but they are definitely not neutral.  The nose has broad notes of ripe fruit--apples, peach and citrus skin--along with penetrating mineral notes and a hint of white pepper.  On the palate, the same flavors are medium intense and they have excellent length.  They won't compete with the flavors of most foods, but when you taste the wine without food, it does have flavor. 

I would not expect this wine to age well, because the element of freshness is so central to its personality.  I would drink it from now until about 2009.  It has enough weight to work well with pork, even sausages, as well as earthy dishes such as portabello mushrooms and cheesy dishes such as white pizza.  Now that I think about it, I wish that I had made risotto for dinner tonight....

90 Points