The Vie di Romans 2019 Friuli Isonzo Pinot Grigio Dessimis is slightly ramato or copperish in appearance. Longer skin contact with the "gray" skins of the Pinot Grigio grape give this wine its unique color. On the nose, it offers good intensity with apricot, lemon preserves, pear and quince. The overall effect is medium-bodied, and this pretty wine finishes with terrific freshness and minerality. This is a special wine.

The Vie di Romans 2018 Friuli Isonzo Pinot Grigio Dessimis boasts a pale copper color with amber and peachy pink highlights. This vintage is not as wide or as texturally generous as the 2017 vintage also tasted in this report. However, the 2018 offers lifted, sharp fruit that is delineated and pure. Those subtle mineral nuances also appear with more clarity. There is tart berry, white cherry, wild mint and bitter almond. I also taste a mild tannic crunch. That structure comes from extended maceration on Pinot Grigio skins, as does the wine's pretty color. It would be interesting to check in on its evolution in five year's time. The wine ages on the lees for two months in French barrique.

Although it is not indicated as such, this is a Ramato-styled Pinot Grigio that sports a pink-copper color thanks to some extended skin maceration (a process whereby the skin's color pigment is reflected in the wine's appearance). I've gone ahead and changed the color class of this wine to rosé in our database to be consistent. The Vie di Romans 2017 Friuli Isonzo Pinot Grigio Dessimis is a beautifully fragrant wine with a wide and long aromatic delivery. Wild berry, peach and grapefruit spread richly over the palate, leaving no part of the mouth untouched. The effect is quite spectacular, and vintage heat has played a big role in building the wide aromatic presence of the wine and its creamy, mid-weight mouthfeel. This is a stunner. Production is 50,366 bottles.

The Pinot Grigio Dessimis is arguably the biggest, richest Pinot Grigio being made in Friuli today as it is again in 2009. Crushed berries meld into floral notes in this textured, expansive wine. As is typically the case, the Dessimis pushes the boundaries in terms of what is capable in Friuli when it comes to Pinot Grigio. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015. Proprietor Gianfranco Gallo has a preference for rich, textured wines. In 2009, a year that saw a long heat wave at the end of August, many of his wines are even bigger than they usually are. The best selections, though, possess terrific overall balance. Vie di Romans has a fabulous website (www.viediromans.it) full of technical information on recent vintages and the estate’s wines, among other topics. Readers should be aware that Vie di Romans is owned by members of my wife's extended family. 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: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200

The 2008 Pinot Grigio Dessimis is a huge departure from previous vintages. Talk about a wine that has completely been re-thought. For starters, the light pinkish hue is the result of a brief period of contact on the skins. Layers of sweet, perfumed fruit caress the palate as this silky, understated and totally classy Pinot Grigio opens up in the glass. The 2008 Dessimis shows exceptional balance and finesse, not to mention terrific personality. A final burst of red berries informs the long finish. Though delicious now, the Dessimis is an excellent choice for drinking as the weather warms up into the spring and summer. I loved it. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2013. This is a beautiful set of wines from Vie di Romans and proprietor Gianfranco Gallo. Vintage 2008 wasn't easy, which makes these wines all the more commendable. At press time I was notified that the estate's importer would change with the 2009 vintage. Readers should be aware that Vie di Romans is owned by members of my wife's extended family. 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: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200