Dalia Maris — Grand Cru Selections

Dalia Maris

Dalia Maris

Buttrio, Friuli, Italy

 

Giampaolo Venica

 
 

Dalia Maris is a project founded by Giampaolo Venica, whose family’s winery – Venica e Venica – is among the most historic and notable in Friuli. Giampaolo’s passion for wine has led him to some of the greatest tables and most renowned wine regions in the world and his evergreen curiosity and dedication is exemplified with Dalia Maris where he seeks his own, independent expression of Friulian terroir and native grapes by drawing on his experience in other wine regions, particularly the Rhone Valley.

“I will never reach the level of Jean-Louis, nor is that my goal. I’ve simply looked at some of Friuli’s best wine and thought intently on what I’m searching for: I want to bring justice to the potential of Friulian terroir in my eyes.”

-GIAMPAOLO VENICA

Wines

B Bianco

Dalia Maris “B” is intended to be the headlining wine of this project. One might say “cru”, but only in a hierarchical concept, not referring to a single vineyard sight. The “B” stands for Buttrio, which is where the fruit came from in this year. It is a field blend of roughly 80% Friulano and 20% Ribolla Gialla. In 2020, “B” spent 12 months in barrel before moving to stainless steel. B has enormous spices and deep orange fruit, leaning towards dried apricot.

Piccolo Bianco

When the vintage permits, Giampaolo makes “Piccolo” – a blend of the same grapes from the same locations with the fruit that I felt did not deserve to be in “B”. Here he borrows another practice from Hermitage: vinify each plot separately, evaluate the quality, and decide how blending can achieve more complexity depending on the vintage.

Pignolo

Pignolo, meaning “fussy” in Italian, is a forgotten autochthonous varietal found in Friuli that traditionally becomes a strong, structured wine with an affinity for oak. Giampaolo’s version is a certified, natural wine spending 6 months on its skins in amphora and obtaining a depth that allows it to be cellared for years. A fussy varietal made in a completely natural style can be a formidable challenge, thus this wine is only bottled in certain years when conditions allow.