Pinot Grigio is a funny variety in that mixed in with its fruity flavors, good acidity (natural or added) and often pleasant minerality, it seems to have a tasting dead zone somewhere just past mid-palate. It reminds me of a characteristic that most old-style hybrid white grapes fight with. It isn’t unpleasant – just a blandness that is a bit like cheese whey in flavor that interrupts the flow. Marco Felluga and other good producers in Collio and Alto Adige do their best to overcome this (I’m assuming they are aware of it) to turn what is a pleasant wine into an excellent wine, and often mostly succeed. That dead zone is barely present in this one, and the tart fruitiness, metallic minerality and crisp finish make it an enjoyable wine.
Marco Felluga, Collio DOC (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy) Pinot Grigio 2022
By Roger Morris