2016 Attems Cicinis Sauvignon Blanc Collio Friuli 750 ml

Two Titans: Attems and Frescobaldi

We’ll make the bold argument that Italy’s Friuli is one of the top white wine regions in the world, and we’re presenting the 2016 Attems Cicinis Sauvignon Blanc as proof. It’s a top-flight Sauvignon Blanc that makes good on the promise of its normal $58 price tag. 

This flagship white comes from Attems, a historic estate owned by the revered Frescobaldi family of Tuscany, which produces the legendary Masseto and Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year Ornellaia. It speaks volumes that the Frescobaldis chose the historic Attems estate for their only venture outside of Tuscany. When they did, they joined forces with a producer whose roots in their home region run spectacularly deep. And the result is a Sauvignon Blanc that gives Loire Valley wines from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé a run for their money. 

James Suckling gave a glowing 94-point score to the 2016 Attems Cicinis, which is awash in the hallmarks of world-class Sauvignon Blanc: aromas of white flowers, lemongrass, and fresh herbs melding with preserved lemon and green apple fruit. It’s softened around the edges by vanilla and sweet spice tones, and has the structure of a fine white Bordeaux. Exuberant now, this beauty will gather further complexity in the cellar. 

Friuli produces Sauvignon Blanc “as racy and clean as melted snow” according to Italian wine bible Vino Italiano by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch, and the conditions at the Attems estate’s 12-acre Cicinis hill show why: The vines are showered by refracted sunlight off of the Adriatic, caressed by the chilly northern winds coming off the Alps, and protected by the surrounding woods—conditions that impart ripeness, verve, and elegance to the wine. Finally, the soils of Eocene marl and sandstone impart a distinctive sage note to the wine. It all combines into what makes Friuli one of the world’s most inimitable white wine regions. 

It’s not every day that we get access to one of Friuli’s best Sauvignon Blancs, let alone at a price that beats run-of-the-mill Sancerre. So if you are already a massive fan of Italian Sauv Blanc, have at it. If your knowledge of fine Sauvignon Blanc is limited to France and California, then there is no better time to get acquainted with Friuli. Take home this wine, get to know Attems, and get to know the glory of Friulian Sauvignon Blanc.