The 2006 Pignacolusse is a gorgeous, exciting red that captures the best qualities of Pignolo, one of Friuli’s indigenous red grapes. The French oak is particularly well integrated in this vintage. The 2006 shows wonderful richness and depth in its dark fruit, along with an additional measure of volume from the oak. The 2006 is one of the best vintages of Pignacolusse I can remember tasting. The wine can be enjoyed today if opened in advance, or cellared. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. 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