10 BEST EXPERIMENTAL WINES - WHITE
"PRULKE" ZIDARICH (FVG)
"A blend of malvasia, sauvignon, and vitovska, this wine has a tick creamy texture and lots of tangerine and lavender aromas and flavors. Zidarich is a very high-quality producer, and any of the wines made by him are just fine."

- Guide to the Best Wines of Italy, Ian D'Agata (2008)

2007

This is another very fine set of new wines from Benjamin Zidarich, a small producer in Friuli's Carso district. The whites see a brief period of skin contact which contributes volume, depth and complexity. The wines are fermented in oak vats using indigenous yeasts and without temperature control. Aging takes place in oak, and the wines are neither fined nor filtered prior to being bottled. At their best, these are some of the most unique and compelling wines readers are likely to come across.

93 |
The 2007 Prulke (Vitovska, Malvasia and Sauvignon) is an explosive, kaleidoscopic wine. All of the elements come together with unusual grace. Stunning in its texture, the wine melds the expressive bouquet of Malvasia and Sauvignon with the richness of Vitovska in a compelling, utterly delicious glass of wine. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2016.

- www.erobertparker.com

2006

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"Benjamin Zidarich is a small, artisan grower working out of the rugged Carso mountains just above Trieste. This is an exciting set of wines from a producer who seems to be developing a steadier and more consistent hand with each passing vintage. The 2006 Prulke is a blend of Vitovska, Malvasia and Sauvignon. It reveals greater richness and density than the previous wines, with compelling notes of pears, white peaches, spices and flowers that hover on the palate. In most vintages, this wine is dominated by the Sauvignon, especially in the bouquet, but in 2006 Zidarich has crafted an especially noteworthy and well-balanced Prulke. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2016. Importer: JK Imports, Pasadena CA; tel. (626) 793-4660."

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate,
Closing Date: 10-30-08, Issue 179

2005

Great, Wild, Pure, Lively
"It was our ad hoc Phoenix Garden tasting group, which takes advantage of first-rate Cantonese food and a bring-your-own policy. The wines we had were outrageously good and very obscure, most of them, anyway, especially the whites. I’ve written about Radikon before. This was the 2002 ribolla gialla, and it was brilliant, with a hazy, rosy color, an entrancing minerally texture and fruit flavors that seemed almost like a red wine. Very similar in style though much younger was a Zidarich Prulke 2005, made from a blend of white grapes in the Carso region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and it was another great wine, wild, pure and lively. Can’t wait to try this again in a few years."

- Eric Asimov, The Blog, NY Times, January, 2008

91 | 2005 Prulke
Varietal Sauvignon aromatics dominate the profile of Zidarich’s 2005 Prulke (Sauvignon, Vitovska, Malvasia) which opens to reveal a sexy core of fruit and a long, caressing finish. It is another terrific effort made all the more notable considering the challenging nature of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2010. There is an expressive purity to Beniamino Zidarich’s wines that I adore. Zidarich works out of a small cellar carved out of the dramatic rock formations that are the dominant terrain in the Carso mountain range. The vineyards were planted beginning in 1988 with densities ranging from 8,000-10,000 plants per hectare. The wines are fermented with natural yeasts in open-top wood vats where they see contact with the skins for eight to ten days. Aging takes place in mid-size Slavonian oak casks and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Zidarich’s wines are cloudy in color, but that is simply the result of wines that have been made with a bare minimum of intervention. Like all whites macerated on the skins, these wines should be served at cellar temperature in large glasses. Even in the weaker 2005 vintage Zidarich has crafted wines that are well worth seeking out.

- Robert Parker, Online Review, October 2007

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"A blend of vitovska, malvasia and sauvignon. Straw-yellow with some gold. The nose exhibits ripe yellow mellon and green fig aromas, with an intriguing herbaceousness and a touch of jasmine providing added lift. Slightly salty on the fresh palate, with enticing suggestions of pear, coriander and asparagus. Fine acidity seems to accentuate the wine's sauvignon-derived flavors. Finishes clean and fresh."

- Stepehn Tanzer's Wine Cellar


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