If you're going to make an orange wine, the Ribolla Gialla grape is your best friend, and the Damijan 2015 Ribolla Gialla boasts the perfect result of a dark orange-gold color and that rich, almost viscous texture. The wine opens to beautiful tones of saffron, crushed coriander seed and dried summer apricot. Ribolla Gialla is a grape that already offers a certain level of discernible structure when vinified in the most straightforward manner, and that textural intensity is increased many times over here in a wine that has been submitted to such a careful and hands-on procedure. Enjoy this one with some aged goat cheese.

Released later than its peers (with some 9,200 bottles made), the Damijan 2014 Ribolla Gialla opens to a deep golden, almost copper-toned appearance. The bouquet is redolent of candied orange peel, honey and yellow rose. You also get distinctive aromas from skin maceration with dusty mineral and crushed oyster shell. The wine ferments on the skins in cylinder-shaped oak casks for up to 90 days. You are treated to a medium to full-bodied approach in terms of structure and mouthfeel.

Damijan Podversic is a leader in the orange wine movement and his Ribolla Gialla is at the head of the crowd. The 2011 Ribolla Gialla imparts oxidative notes of dusty mineral, toasted nut, canned peach and candied apricot. The wine sports a deep copper color with bright amber and golden highlights. This Ribolla Gialla drinks like a red wine thanks to its power, heft and structure. It has the criteria for long aging and probably won't change much in the short term. Aging on the lees give stability and protection. The finish is tangy and austere, but there is an interesting spot of distant sweetness that breaks up some of the heaviness.

The 2008 Ribolla Gialla is the most intense, powerful and structured of the 2008 whites. I often think of Ribolla as the white Nebbiolo when it is macerated on the skins, and that comparison is certainly apt here. Hints of tangerine peel, apricot and roses emerge from this beguiling wine. Though deceptively medium in body, there is plenty of underlying structure supporting the fruit. The Ribolla turns increasing powerful and captivating with time in the glass. Give the 2008 another year or two, then fasten your seatbelt! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. Damijan Podversic is one of Friuli’s most inspired artisan producers. Vintage 2008 was challenging for Podversic. Hail wiped out a significant amount of his Friulano, so there is no Nekaj bottling. On a more positive note, the cold weather allowed for the development of botrytis – especially in the Ribolla and Malvasia – and a very late harvest. The 2008s saw 2-3 months of contact on the skins, followed by 2 years in cask and another year and half in bottle. These aren’t the most immediate wines, but they will provide immense pleasure to those who are willing to spend some time with them.No American importer

The Ribolla Gialla, always a strength here, is superb in 2007. Waves of fruit flow from this huge, extroverted white. Mineral notes are layered throughout, which provide a framework for expressive notes of apricot jam, dried flowers and mint. The impression of roundness carries through to the building, textured finish. Damijan’s Ribolla is a red wine masquerading as a white. Accordingly, the tannins need time to harmonize a bit more fully. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2019. Damijan Podversic is another of the young growers in Friuli who amply deserves more attention. These densely planted vineyards are farmed meticulously, while the approach in the stripped down winery is equally minimalist. Deeply influenced by his friend and mentor Josko Gravner, Damijan crafts gorgeous, textured whites. The wines see extended skin contact and are aged in cask. The wines need to be opened an hour or two in advance and should be served at cellar temperature or slightly above (but not chilled) in red wine glasses. No American importer.