Vintners in Friuli have been so fundamentally offended by the fact they can no longer use the name Tocai Friulano for its flagship white grape (now officially called Friulano). It's a long story that pits Northern Italy against Hungary (home to Tocaji), but the simmering anger still lingers. That's the sentiment that I suspect went into naming this wine, the Livon 2018 Collio Friulano Manditocai. Notice how "Tocai" gets worked in regardless. Packaged in its distinctive bottle with a triangular top, this release of 6,600 bottles is very true to Friulano, revealing some distant bitterness and nuttiness that is specific to this wine. Fruity notes of apricot and baked apple settle in at the back, defining an unapologetic expression to be enjoyed with a grilled Slovenian trout.

From an excellent vintage, the 2016 Collio Friulano Manditocai (with 6,670 bottles made) takes a few extra minutes to open in the glass. The wine boasts mid-weight texture with stone fruit, poached pear, honey and toasted almond. The wine is partially (only 50%) aged in oak for six months. There is an interesting component to the bouquet that is slightly green in nature, like kiwi or honeydew melon. The wine's name, Manditocai, references the Friulano grape that many locals still refer to by its previous name, Tocai.

The 2013 Collio Mandítocai Friulano shows aromas of candied fruit, apricot, pine nut and honey. There is an oxidized character to this wine that you usually don't get with Friulano. The wine offers a thick mouthfeel and rich texture with bold fruit tones, almond paste and dried mint leaves.

The 2012 Collio Manditocai Friulano is a beautiful white wine with a tight mineral vein of brimstone and salty sea air that gives the wine a breezy aromatic lift. Focus in a little more and that mineral layer reveals ash and talc powder. The wonderful thing about the Friulano grape is that it can successfully reign in its aromatic intensity. It becomes a blank canvas for the beautiful, territory-driven aromas that you get here. In the mouth, however, Friulano shows a high caliber of natural richness and smoothness. This expression ages briefly in oak. Drink: 2014-2018. Trailblazer Dorino Livon purchased his first Collio vineyard in 1964. The company has grown over the years to include holdings in Tuscany and Umbria. Importer: Angelini Wine, K"http://www.angeliniwine.com"www.angeliniwine.com