A Stella Supernova
Regular readers of these pages will know of my fascination with Italy’s Collio DOC. In particular, Tenuta Stella, a winery near Dolegna del Collio, has become a personal favourite. I first discovered their wines when visiting the Collio in 2023, with two previous articles written about some of their wines. You can find the first one here, which is about the winery and features their Malvasia Istriana. The second article is here, which is about their Ribolla Gialla Riserva and Friulano wines. This time around, three more of their white wines feature, hence the title, A Stella Supernova. This time they are Ribolla Gialla, the new release of Friulano, and, as a finale, their rare Friulano Riserva, which is something altogether special.
Dolegna and Scriò, home of Tenuta Stella
For details about the estate, run by oenologist Erika Barbieri and her agrotechnologist husband, Alberto Faggiani, the linked articles mentioned above provide all the details, so there’s no need for repetition. But because those pieces were written in 2024, stockists and prices have all been updated so that all three articles can be read together consistently.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at the wines, all three of which come highly recommended!
Stella Supernova 1: Ribolla Gialla, Collio DOC, Italy, 2023. 12%
Tenuta Stella Ribolla Gialla
The Ribolla Gialla Riserva featured in the second article, so here is the Ribolla Gialla annata, if you will1. Ribolla Gialla has thick skins, so this wine receives little skin contact, whereas the Riserva has extended skin contact and is therefore much more of an orange wine with tannins. Hence there are significant differences in style and taste. This bottle was one of the last 2023 wines, with the 2024 vintage due for release soon.
Technical
A vineyard selection of the Ribolla Gialla harvest picked at the end of September. By then, the less ripe grapes will have already been taken for the sparkling wine, and the destiny of the very best grapes is for the Riserva. Relatively low yields due to the high (for the Collio) 250-270 metres altitude and the Ponca soils.
There is no extended skin contact here. Instead, maceration is just for a few hours prior to fermentation in stainless steel, with indigenous yeasts, which lasts for 17 days. The new wine is then split into two equal parts for ageing which takes 10 months. 50% is in stainless steel for lees ageing, with the other 50% is in French oak tonneaux (first and second fill). The wine undergoes Malolactic secondary fermentation in both vessels. After maturation the two styles blend together. Bottling is in a Collio DOC bottle under cork.
Tasting
Ribolla Gialla isn’t an aromatic grape variety, but there are lovely mineral and citrus notes, some grapefruit and the gentle oak treatment has added some spicy leesy notes. In the glass, apple and peach come to the fore, with some vanilla from the oak. The long dry finish shows liquorice and a saffron note. Even with a short maceration there is still a little tannin texture on the palate, but this subtle feature helps make it even more food friendly. Drinking well now and will continue to do so for another five years at least.
Food
This bottle was matched with some special goat’s cheeses made in Cumbria by Piper Hole Dairy Goat Farm, which is the only organic goat farm in Britain. In particular, the Nettle and Thyme cheese and the Rosemary cheese really picked up the nuances of the Ribolla Gialla, and were all that were needed for a memorable meal. Seems doubly appropriate to match cheese and wine of such high quality and natural credentials. Watch out for a forthcoming article on Piper Hole!
UK stockist
Passione Vino £37.00
Stella Supernova 2: Friulano, DOC Collio, Italy, 2024. 13.5%
Tenuta Stella Friulano
This 2024 is the new release of Friulano. Previously featured was the 2022. Tenuta Stella like to age their wines longer before release, which really benefits the wines and saves you keeping them for a little while before drinking optimally.
Technical
100% Friulano from vineyards with Ponca soil facing southeast at 200-260 metres asl. One of the highest points of the Collio DOC, where water-stress can reduce yields naturally. Whole-bunch pressed with the stems. Spontaneous fermentation with Indigenous yeasts in stainless steel. Ageing was for ten months in stainless steel, including malolactic fermentation, before bottling in a Collio DOC bottle under a cork.
Tasting
Served chilled, it’s lightly golden, with aromas of apple, jasmine and broom. The freshness of the rounded palate incorporates pear, green apple, and mandarin. There’s a delightful slippery texture, and the absence of wood ensures the subtlety of aroma and flavour to show well. It’s all about balance, with a harmonious structure that suggests this will continue developing over five years or more. Finally, a savoury almond and pastry sensation on a persistent dry finish ensures a great finale.
Food
This time the Friulano was with Sushi (tuna and salmon) as the rounded texture of the wine really enhances the fish. Just go easy on the wasabi! For something more Italian, tuna or trout Carpaccio would be good too.
UK stockist
Passione Vino £35.00
Stella Supernova 3: Friulano Riserva, Collio DOC, Italy, 2022. 14%
Tenuta Stella Friulano Riserva
As mentioned above, this Friulano Riserva is altogether something special. A Stella Supernova! And this is why.
Refrain from over-chilling this wine. Serve at 16 degrees, and this wine will sing. Serve colder, and you’ll wonder what the fuss is about. A white wine glass with a shallow bowl was used initially, but even better results were with stemless Gravner wine cups.
Technical
2022 is the latest release, being 100% Friulano from a single 1-ha ancient vineyard with Ponca soil facing southwest at 150 metres altitude, at nearby Lonzano. The vineyard was planted in 1926, so is now 100 years old. Moreover, the vines are ungrafted, so they are on their own roots. Consequently, how these have survived phylloxera is amazing, thought the vineyard is surrounded by forest, which may have helped. Similarly, there’s no Flavescence dorée here either, which is now affecting some parts of the Collio. Yields are, unsurprisingly, tiny, with very small bunches produced.
The grapes are whole-bunch pressed with the stems. Spontaneous fermentation was with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels. Ageing was then for 24 months in French oak tonneaux before bottling in a Collio DOC bottle under a cork covered in wax. Only 1,300 bottles were made in 2022, which is a little more than the average!
First made in 2010, this wine is only ever made in the very best years, of which 2022 was one, and 2025 will be the next release. Will there be a centenary wine from the 2026 Harvest? Only time and conditions will tell, so watch this space! It has a decade or more ahead of it, and I’ve put a bottle away to see how this develops.
Tasting
Served barely chilled, (threaten it with a refrigerator) it’s amber with golden flecks. The nose is frankly stunning, with aromas of dried flowers, hay, apricot and orange peel. Linger here and inhale before proceeding. The palate is rich, creamy and mouth-filling palate incorporates apple, fig, and lemon.
With exceptional balance, there’s a delightful slippery texture, and the oak treatment lends subtle vanilla aroma and flavour notes without dominating proceedings. Finally, a savoury almond sensation and a hint of honeycomb on a very long, fading dry finish. There’s great complexity here yet still there’s a suggestion that there’s much more to come from further bottle aging for a decade or more.
Food
You could open this wine and drink it as a meditation wine, but for me finding complimentary food is essential. Lobster or crayfish would be a good call, whether sauced or not. However, my choice was Skate wing, with brown butter and caper sauce, a real treat that brought back great memories of Dolegna!
UK stockist
Passione Vino £81.00 (for the 2021 Vintage). There’s no doubting the expense, but see this in context. Firstly, in my opinion, this is one of Italy’s greatest dry white wines, simply world-class. Secondly, the amount of care in winegrowing combined with rarity means this is an exciting wine perfect for special occasions. Anyway, have you seen the price of Côte d’Or Whites recently?
And Finally
One thing important thing to say about serving any Tenuta Stella white wines is to not overchill them., If you serve at a typical white wine temperature that amount of chill inhibits the aromas and flavours, which then won’t appear unless or until the wine warms. Instead, treat these wines as you would a fine white Burgundy, where 14℃ is optimal. This is especially true of the Friulano Riserva, where 16℃ is optimal!
Tenuta Stella’s red wines and metodo classico sparkling wines may become a future article. I also hope to revisit the winery sooner rather than later! Meanwhile, some wines are being kept to see how they develop in the years to come. Anticipate more Stella Supernova (e) ahead!
Location
Tenuta Stella
Via Sdencina, 1
34070 Dolegna del Collio (GO)
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Italy
What3words Location
Notes
- How to distinguish this wine from the Riserva? I don’t want to call it normale, because it isn’t. Non-Riserva doesn’t work either. Hence I’ve borrowed the word Annata from Chianti Classico, which, for me, seems to fit.