2019 Giuseppe Zorzettig Sauvignon Colli Orientali Friuli Venezia Giulia 750 ml

We’ve made some inspiring wine discoveries on the patios of tiny bistros in Italy, but few compare to the electrifying Giuseppe Zorzettig. What began as a recommendation from our server as we sat across from the Spanish Steps has become one of Wine Access members’ favorite—not to mention highest-rated—Sauvignon Blanc values of all time! 

On the heels of a 2018 bottle that inspired sellouts, five-star reviews, and how-can-I-get-more emails, we’ve secured an allocation of the vibrant, 92-point 2019. From a growing season that Wine Enthusiast ranks as Friuli’s best in seven years, this is a truly triumphant return, one poised to match and even surpass its member-favorite siblings.

Pour a glass of the 2019 and you’ll see why we can’t keep the Zorzettig on our shelves. With aromas of citrus peel, white flower blossoms, and freshly cut grass previewing juicy layers of lemon and spice, threaded with white pepper and sage, it shows the vibrancy and spice-tinged depth that have made Friuli a premier white wine region. James Suckling called it “fantastic flavor intensity.” We call it bottle-draining zest and elegance.

Today, we’re reliving how pleasantly stunned we were by the racy Zorzettig when we first tried it in Rome. It was a dream with bruschetta and fried artichokes, and is absolutely unbeatable as an aperitif, or with halibut or shellfish. This is a wine that will make fans of Sauvignon Blanc and Italian whites do exactly what we did: perk right up, then drink it down. 

If you’ve never had Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli, or you weren’t quick enough to lock in the 2018, this is the perfect opportunity to get on board. This picture-perfect region, which Vino Italiano authors David Lynch and Joseph Bastianich say produces some of the “most complex and full-bodied whites to be found anywhere in the world,” is heaven for white grapes, and not only indigenous grapes like Friulano, Malvasia, and Pinot Grigio. International grapes like Sauvignon Blanc thrive there as well, a big reason why Friuli is always one of the first stops on our quest for stellar white wines.

More supple and generous than its counterparts from the Loire and Bordeaux, yet every bit as aromatic, sleek, and energetic, this will leave you primed for sip after sip, and then a few more. Fortunately, at this price, there’s absolutely no reason to hold back.