2022 Russiz Collio Cabernet Franc, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

ABOUT THIS WINE

The 2022 Russiz Superiore Collio Cabernet Franc is crafted from 100% hand-harvested fruit grown on the estate's sandstone and clay soils in Capriva del Friuli, Italy. Grapes are  from vines averaging 20-50 years old and are strictly sorted upon arrival at the winery. Following destemming, the grapes undergo a cold maceration before alcoholic fermentation begins immediately in stainless steel and temperature-controlled tanks. The juice remains in contact with the skins for 10-15 days to extract deep ruby color, flavor, and soft tannins. The wine is transferred to French oak barriques where it matures for 12 months and undergoes malolactic fermentation. Before release, the wine rests in the bottle for an additional 6 months to integrate its flavors and soft, velvety tannins

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

In the commune of Capriva del Friuli, in the heart of the Collio Goriziano wine area on the border of Slovenia, lies the estate of Russiz Superiore. The place name Russiz dates back at least to 1273, when a certain Raimondo della Torre became the patriarch of Aquileia (essentially, the prince-bishop of Friuli). He named his estate Russiz Superiore for its high (superior) location above the hamlet of Russiz. The estate passed through countless hands over the next several centuries but was known for most of that time as a source of fine wine grapes. In 1967, the property became available for sale. Marco Felluga—owner of a self-named winery in the nearby town of Gradisca d’Isonzo—recognized the superb potential of the vineyard land and bought it. He knew the estate, already famed for its Cabernet Franc, could become the jewel of the family holdings. Rather than folding Russiz Superiore into the family’s existing vineyards, he decided to maintain it as a separate working estate, vinified and bottled under its own distinct brand. 

Marco Felluga represented the fourth generation of a wine merchant family that had begun trading in Istria (part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) in the late 1800s. His grandfather had begun selling wine in Friuli after World War I, and the family relocated permanently to Italian Friuli after World War II and the loss of Istria to the Soviet Bloc under Yugoslavia. Marco Felluga had founded his winery in Gradisca d’Isonzo in 1956 and was ready to expand with the purchase of Russiz Superiore a decade later. 

Roberto Felluga, Marco’s son and fifth generation, took over the family wine business in 2000, improving quality through sustainable viticulture. He died in Fall 2021, leaving his legacy to his daughter, Ilaria Felluga, the sixth generation, who joined him in 2017. She now leads with a focus on sustainability and quality, gaining fame for her personality and deep knowledge of Friuli and her family's legacy in establishing it as a top winemaking region.  

Russiz Superiore wines use only estate-grown fruit—with several native and international grape varieties, mainly white but also red with their highly-regarded Cabernet Franc