An iconic Friuli wine, the Lis Neris 2016 Confini is an important and carefully balanced blend of Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Floral fragrances of star jasmine, white rose and honeysuckle delight on first impact. As the wine relaxes in the glass, it begins to slowly reveal puff pastry, candied orange peel, almond marzipan and cinnamon-tinged poached pear. This is an abundant mid-weight wine with a dry finish and some beautifully fruity end notes. This is an especially powerful and elegant vintage.

The 2015 Confini is a masterpiece, with 10,000 bottles produced. It is one of the best Friuli whites I have tasted from this sunny and warm vintage. The wine is teaming with energy, fruit fiber and beautifully delineated flavors that span from star jasmine, passion fruit, vanilla and crushed stone. The blend consists of Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. The mid-weight mouthfeel is endowed with creamy richness and silky intensity. I just love this wine and you will too.

I am a huge fan of Confini and this vintage does not disappoint. The 2012 Confini is an intelligent assembly of 40% Pinot Grigio, 40% Gewürztraminer and 20% Riesling. The blend delivers a full package including aromatic intensity, creaminess, good structure, freshness and persistence. Yellow rose, exotic fruit and peach come to attention. At the back of those fruity notes are soft layers of creamy, textural richness.

The 2010 Confini celebrates the concept of “borders” with an international blend of 40% Pinot Grigio, 40% Gewurtztraminer and 20% Riesling. This is a gorgeous wine with the aromatic fullness you’d expect from the last two aromatic varieties in the blending lineup. The wine is oak-fermented with 11 months batonnage. Petroleum, exotic fruit, candied pineapple, jasmine and other fragrant flower make up the bouquet. The mouth-feel is velvety, smooth and long lasting. Drink: 2014-2020. Alvaro Pecorari and his family are protagonists in the new wave of excellent vintners who have given life to the modern Friuli wine identity. His efforts focus primarily on mono-varietal expressions of white grapes and his beautiful wines are meticulously aged on fine lees with frequent batonnage. They are unified by a profound sense of depth and elegance. Importer: Lis Neris/Wine Twist, www.lisneris.it

What a pleasure it is to taste the 2008 Confini, a blend of 60% Gewurztraminer, 30% Pinot Grigio and 10% Riesling. Vivid layers of jasmine, floral honey, passion fruit, mango and lime peel dance on the palate as this sumptuous yet beautifully balanced white caresses the palate. The persistence and definition are both first-rate. The 2008 captures a nearly ideal balance of ripeness, alcohol and residual sugar while avoiding heaviness, no small feat with this bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Alvaro Pecorari is one of the leading young growers in Friuli. His wines are distinguished for their textural elegance and class. Readers should be aware that Lis Neris 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: Lis Neris Estate, Manhasset, NY; staff@lisnerisusa.com