Gradis’ciutta, Collio (Italy) Ribolla Gialla 2020

 This is a delicious, downright exciting take on Ribolla Gialla, a variety that is almost certainly indigenous to Collio and adjacent Slovenia.  It excels both as a table wine and as a base for sparklers, thanks to its excellent acidity, which it maintains even at relatively high ripeness levels.  This wine proves the point, as there’s plenty of palate weight to get this up to the medium-bodied category (at least), and yet it remains both fresh and refreshing.  The flavors recall golden apples and stone fruits, and the lifted, zesty character of the wine is enhanced by bottling with a bit of unresolved carbon dioxide (which you’ll notice texturally, as well as visually due to some tiny bubbles adhering to your glass).  Collio isn’t as famous as it deserves to be, in part from a lack of wineries that are high in quality but also large enough to distribute widely and retain restaurant placements with sufficient supply.  Robert Princic, the helmsman of this sizeable family winery, has managed to consistently achieve excellence on a relatively large scale, and, in my view, is the most important vintner in the region.