2010 Ribolla Gialla
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Tasting notes
The 2010 Ribolla Gialla Anfora Riserva reminds me more of a top-shelf brown spirit than a wine on the nose, mixing cedary spices, clove, dried peach and apricot with fermented ginger. It is weighty in feel, with a notable inner sweetness and glycerol textures, all offset by zesty acidity as poached pear and apple swirl beneath an air of butterscotch. The 2010 is dramatically long and staining, leaving a spicy sensation and a hint of toasted almond, yet somehow it keeps the mouth watering for more. The 2010 Ribolla Gialla Anfora, referred to as the Riserva by Mateja Gravner, can be identified by its black and grey label. It displays a much darker color than the surrounding vintages, a heightened alcohol of 16% and 47 grams of residual sugar per liter. The 2010 shows its sugar, but in an amazingly balanced way. Just 1,000 bottles were produced.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
RS more than 45 g/l. Aged for seven years (!) after bottling. Very deep amber colour. Rich, mahogany flavour somehow and admirably fresh on the finish. Notes of botrytis. Really intriguing and dry enough to serve with cheese and pâtés so we enjoyed it with three unusually savoury petits fours. A good choice. (JR)
With a stunning display, the 2010 Ribolla Gialla is deep orange and amber in color, with a seductively sweet bouquet that shows dried orange with exotic brown spice, evolving into peach, nectarine and dusty florals. While silky in texture, underlying tension builds, as a complex mix of minerals and tannins creates a tactile feel. There’s a hint of oxidation here, as is expected from this wine, while also coming across as quite savory. Hazelnut, baked apple, ginger and a hint of vanilla, but not oak, resonate on the structured finish. Tasted blind, you’d probably guess this orange wine was a red, and as such, I recommend decanting it. It also pays to mention that this improved even further on day two. The 2010 is the current release of the Ribolla Gialla. Gravner uses spontaneous fermentation in Georgian amphorae, after which the juice is further refined for another five months before being moved to large oak barrels for another six years.
To be released in May 2024, the 2010 Ribolla Riserva is already gorgeous. There is sweet spice and cinnamon here on the palate, peppered with notes of candied peach and so much intensity it's hard to overstate. Another botrytis-laced vintage, this one opens to that familiar dark orange color, with a gleaming polished copper intensity that Gravner manages to achieve with consistency year after year. This is an outstanding wine with so much complexity and potential for further aging and evolution.
About the producer
Along with the likes of Radikon, Joško Gravner – whose vines straddle the Italian-Slovenian border – is a leading light of the natural-wine movement. His skin-contact Ribolla Gialla has inspired many imitators, while the rare Pignolo is prized by those in the know.