The 2009 Chardonnay Vie di Romans sweeps across the palate with layers of tropical fruit, sweet French oak, butterscotch and spices. The estate’s top Chardonnay is made in a style that emphasizes textural richness and volume, both of which this wine has in spades. Fans of New World Chardonnay will find much to admire here. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. 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 estate's 2008 Chardonnay Vie di Romans is a much more overt, in your face Chardonnay than the Ciampagnis Vieris. Butterscotch, French oak, sweet spices, vanillin and opulent tropical fruit emerge from this vivid, multidimensional New World-influenced Chardonnay. This is an undeniably important wine, but it is the bottle I am personally least likely to choose at Vie di Romans. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. 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

The 2007 Chardonnay Vie di Romans is lush and seamless in its ripe apricots, mango and bananas. This is a decidedly full-bodied Chardonnay, but the wine shows exceptional balance and polish all the way through to the creamy finish. The Chardonnay Vie di Romans is one of the most successful of the estate’s 2007s. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015. Proprietor Gianfranco Gallo is one of the leading producers in Friuli. His wines typically seek a rich, lush expression of fruit. In 2007, though, many of the wines come across as overly heavy. 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.A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael CA; (415) 492-9411, Giuliana Imports, Boulder CO; (303) 547-6343, Robert Houde Wines, Bensenville IL; (630) 422-1119

The 2006 Chardonnay Vie di Romans is quite possibly the most elegant Chardonnay I have ever tasted from this property. A multitude of ripe, tropical fruit, toasted oak, spices and truffles emerge from this richly-textured, generous white. Despite the wine’s ripeness, there is also more than enough minerality to provide balance as well as freshness. The Chardonnay Vie di Romans was aged in French oak (40%) new, with frequent batonnage (stirring of the fine lees). Anticipated maturity: 2008-2016. This line-up from Vie di Romans and proprietor Gianfranco Gallo is truly impressive. To be honest, I haven’t always been a huge fan of this estate, but in recent vintages Gallo has made significant strides in quality. In the past Gallo was fanatical about communicating the exact details of vinification and aging for his wines, particularly in the use of cooperage, but he has become somewhat more reluctant, as he found that consumers formed preconceived ideas of what the wines would taste like before trying them. Although it is hard to fault Gallo for that view, it is also inescapable that he bottles large number of different wines and some of his single-varietal wines are made in two versions, so it is only natural that consumers might wonder what the differences are. At the end of the day, however, the wines speak for themselves. These remain some of the richest, lushest wines being made in Friuli, but they are also among the most elegant. Our tasting ended with a few 1996s, and I am pleased to report that the wines are still delicious today. Readers should note that not all of these wines are imported into the US, but they should be available in other markets.A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700, and Estate Wines, Ltd., San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411