The 2009 Capo Martino shows quite a bit more energy and vibrancy than the Vintage Tunina. Pears, white flowers, peaches and mint are some of many notes that emerge from the glass. There is no shortage of minerality or nuance here. This is a terrific showing. Capo Martino is Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit, all indigenous grapes, which makes the wine the alter ego of the more internationally styled Vintage Tunina. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. This is a somewhat mixed set of wines from Silvio Jermann. The flagships Vintage Tunina, Capo Martino and Were Dreams are less exciting in 2009 than they are in cooler years such as 2008, when less extreme weather balances some of the overtness that is typical of the house’s approach with the top whites. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to taste any Pignolos this year. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2008 Capo Martino is even better than the Tunina. The 2008 is a decidedly inward, steely Capo Martino, graced with exquisite delineation in its white stone fruit, mint, minerals and dried flowers, all of which are woven together in a finely knit fabric of notable class. The 2008 Capo Martino is one of the finest versions of the last few vintages. Here, too, the cool year has marked the wine with a gorgeous streak of minerality. Capo Martino is Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. These new releases from Silvio Jermann include a number of fabulous bottles. In particular, I was impressed with the top 2008s, a vintage where the cool minerality of the year prevails over the house’s typically lush style, an approach I tend to find less interesting. Jermann has a new red on the horizon, the Pignolo Vigna Truss, from recently purchased hillside vineyards in Dolegna, the home of his massive, new cellar. Previously, Jermann’s Pignolo had mostly come from the flats of Villanova, a far less prestigious village in Isonzo, rather than the Collio. I tasted all of the 2009 entry-level whites from screwcaps. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2007 Capo Martino is the alter-ego to Vintage Tunina in that here the blend is focused on the indigenous Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Malvasia and Picolit. In 2007 Capo Martino is round and generous on the palate but then falls short on the finish. The delineation and clarity of the finest vintages is missing. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2015. This set of new releases from Silvio Jermann is once again mixed. Some of the wines are outstanding, but a number of bottlings, the Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco in particular, are far off the pace of the region’s leading producers. In addition to the wines below, I also had a chance to taste Jermann’s 1999 Vintage Tunina, Dreams and Capo Martino. The wines have aged quite well, most notably the Capo Martino, which showed terrific freshness and minerality. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2006 Capo Martino is Ribolla, Tocai, Malvasia and Picolit aged in 800-liter Slavonian and Austrian oak barrels. The wine spends a few months in larger casks prior to bottling. This, too, is a super-ripe, honeyed wine loaded with fruit and sweet toasted oak. The wine possesses nice inner perfume, but ultimately it comes across as heavy handed. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2012. Silvio Jermann has much more competition from his neighbors these days. One can’t help noticing that Jermann is increasingly being left behind by the area’s new generation of ambitious, quality-minded producers, something that was brought home to me quite clearly when I visited the region’s top estates a few months ago. Ironically for a producer famous for his whites, it is actually the reds that are now among the estate’s most interesting wines.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2005 Capo Martino is a slender version of this wine. Perfumed aromatics lead to an expressive core of ripe fruit as this medium-bodied white opens up in the glass. Today the oak is especially prominent, and I am not sure the wine possesses enough plumpness to provide balance. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2013.Silvio Jermann has much more competition from his neighbors these days. One can’t help noticing that Jermann is increasingly being left behind by the area’s new generation of ambitious, quality-minded producers, something that was brought home to me quite clearly when I visited the region’s top estates a few months ago. Ironically for a producer famous for his whites, it is actually the reds that are now among the estate’s most interesting wines.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900