Friulano - Where Goest Thou?

It can’t be a surprise that Friulano (also known as Tai and Lison in Italy while it is still called Tocai Friulano in the US) winds a confusing path like almost every other grape associated with Italy, and its history in California introduces even more head scratching. In Italy’s northeastern regions of Friuli and Veneto where it stands tall, it is often paired with another French foreigner in Merlot. Just as Carmenere was mistaken for Merlot in Chile and produced puzzling pyrazine monsters for some time, so too Friulano was known as Sauvignonasse or Sauvignon Vert in France, but seemed to do something different in Italy. The names lend more confusion since Sauvignon Blanc (going back to the 1500’s) likely proceeded Sauvignon Vert (going back to the 1700’s) in Bordeaux and SW France, but the two are in fact not related genetically. It is speculated that Friulano migrated to Friuli in the early 1700’s and may have been cemented there well before the Austrian Empire’s foundation. By 1820 it was known in Friuli as “Tocai” and while Sauvignon Vert/Sauvignonasse was mainly a production workhorse and neutral blender in France and eventually California, it seemed that some synergistic magic happened in Italy, levelling- up what was once a lowly workhorse grape.

In California the history is equally fuzzy, but no less intriguing. The first unanswerable question is: did Italian immigrants bring vine cuttings, possibly including Friulano? Sadly, we really have no idea, and we can speculate endlessly about random vines of Nero d’Avola to Teroldego populating California vineyards pre-phylloxera. It is hard to imagine that no one brought anything, but times were desperate and the trip was long. My own family certainly didn’t bring anything from Palermo. However, it would be hard to understate the growth and expansion of the California wine industry in the late 1800’s and the tremendous influx and trade in a million-dollar booming industry. Agoston Haraszthy claimed to have 300-2000 (depending on who asked) different cultivars in Sonoma in 1860, and we know Henry Crabb had hundreds growing in Napa Valley. They were not alone, and the scattered records read like a mysterious rolodex, salivating with possibilities.

What we do know fairly well (thank you Charles Sullivan) is that Sauvignon Vert probably landed in

California around 1860 with Charles Lefranc’s importation and vinification of Bordeaux varieties near San Jose, and possibly as just plain “Sauvignon” or Madeleine around the same time. The documentation is thin however, and though Charles Wetmore is credited with the first Sauvignon Blanc importation to Livermore as Chateau d’Yquem clones (because, of course they were) there is a good chance that it had already landed but was mislabeled (or alternatively-named) as so many grapes were, or simply called Sauvignon or Yquem. The Semillon documentation is fuzzy as well.

In Amerine & Winkler’s landmark 1944 study, both Sauvignon’s Blanc and Vert are listed. Vert is noted as widely distributed and receives a relative value of 45 and a sad “not recommended” below Bombino Bianco which could work in Zone 5. The entry is fascinating, and like many other cultivars the observations are eerily accurate and also attuned to a different climatic sensibility:

Sauvignon vert.—The Sauvignon vert is widely distributed in California.

It ripens slightly before midseason and in most locations is a good producer.

The clusters are long and rather straggly. The berries are medium-sized,

spherical, and accompanied by a large number of shot-berries. The skin is very

thin and, as the grape ripens, becomes brownish on the exposed side. The

grapes are very subject to rot in wet seasons and locations and also to attack by

insects. Their quality for crushing is often unsatisfactory.

This variety has been tested throughout California. Irrespective of the region

it has been very deficient in acid, the only exception being two of the 1941

samples. This observation confirms the published analysis of Hilgard, who

reported an acidity as low as 0.22.

The wines have had a marked tendency to spoil, owing to the very high pH

of the musts. The flavor is common and lacks softness. The aroma is almost

always very distinct, frequently being very aromatic and sometimes even having

a muscat quality. Because of the low acidity the wines frequently have a

harsh aftertaste.

Of the commonly planted white wine grape varieties of California the Sau-

vignon vert least deserves a permanent place. Its musts are unbalanced, and

its fruit is poor. The wines are undesirable in flavor as well as composition.

Several attempts have been made to utilize the variety as a sherry base and as

a white sweet wine. It makes a pleasant Angelica type, and its tendency to

oxidize suits it fairly well for sherry material. In neither case, however, is it

outstanding ; other varieties are more useful. The low acidity and the high

sugar content suit the variety somewhat better for natural sweet wines, where

a slight muscat flavor is somewhat less objectionable than in a dry wine. Semil-

lon and Sauvignon blanc are, however, much better for this purpose.

To say that Sauvignon Vert was widely distributed in 1944 seems like a bold claim, but remember that a huge amount of Mission was still being grown, and we were bottling wines of style, not by cultivar. Sauvignon Blanc received a princely 78, and the entry is equally fascinating, given the amount produced today in zone III-IV:

Sauvignon hlanc.—The Sauvignon blanc is a rather poor producer unless

pruned long. The small clusters are closely set with medium-sized oval berries,

which have a moderately tender skin and should therefore reach the winery

as soon as possible after harvesting. The small-sized clusters and the small

crops make this grape expensive to harvest as well as to grow. The flavor is

usually distinct and aromatic. The juice yield is average.

Because of its low production, the Sauvignon blanc should be considered

only for the best-quality wines. It has been tested in all the regions of California.

It ripens fairly early and if harvested by midseason retains a fair degree

of acidity. The distinctive flavor is carried over and even increased in the wine,

whether the grapes are produced in the coolest or the warmest region. If harvested

before full maturity, however, the fruit has a much less distinctive

flavor. Irrespective of the year and the region there seems always to be an

overabundance of sugar. The better-quality wines came from regions I and II,

although very good wines were produced in III. The distinct aromatic flavor

is so strong that in some regions and years it may have to be blended with a

more neutral-flavored variety to achieve consumer acceptance. It should not,

however, be diluted too much. The possibility of using Sauvignon blanc for

natural sweet wines should be more widely investigated, particularly in warm

seasons and in region III. The high degree of sugar achieved without undue

raisining makes it suited for this type of wine.

The Sauvignon blanc is recommended in regions I, II, and III for producing

quality wines either by itself or by blending. In addition, in region III it

is recommended as a constituent of natural sweet wines. This agrees in general

with Hilgard and Bioletti, who recognized its high quality.

Just as in Europe, phylloxera altered the face of viticulture in California as well, and many bloodlines were lost, including Wetmore’s original Sauvignon Blanc planting, though the genes remain as clone FPS 01 today. We know that some Vert acreage persisted to Prohibition for jug wine, and the 1968 crop acreage report lists about 1,000 acres of it, mostly in the North Coast region. It was also documented through ampelographic evidence that most Sauvignon Blanc in California into the 1960’s was in fact Sauvignon Vert. The Sauvignon Blanc story detours and then charges ahead here with Robert Mondavi and his Fumé Blanc creation in 1968.

In California our legacy bottling of Friulano was probably Larkmead’s Friulano-heavy field blend from vines going back to 1900-ish. The fruit was sold to others until they started bottling it in 2006, but the diseased vines were retired in 2016, though a new block of Friulano was planted nearby. A bit of acreage persists in Chalone, and I have personally made it from Fox Hill Vineyard and one that Greg Graziano manages in Mendocino County. The USDA crush report shows 73 tons harvested for 2024, though many growers don’t bother to report small quantities, and some is undoubtedly in mixed vineyards and is not accounted for. Graziano’s planting (or at least he manages the planting) in Potter Valley is particularly successful, with excellent results from stainless to skin-contact to botrytised production in 2019.

By all accounts, if Sauvignon Vert is just plain old Friulano, why was it so neutral and bland when I am about to shower praise on Friulano’s body and yellow stone fruit aromas? It also seems that the Chilean plantings thought to be Sauvignon Blanc had the same disappointing problem – generic blender of Sauvignon Vert rather than piercingly-aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Both vines are vigorous and upright growing, and visually there could be some confusion. The simplest answer is that there are two biotypes of Friulano. The green type is bland, the yellow type is aromatic and full of body, and given that it was Sauvignon Vert, this seems the viable option. Plus, as we know clones develop their own trajectory with human help. The French type in the 1800’s was green vert, while the Italian Friulano had mutated and developed into its own fully-formed being with the dotted yellow clone taking the lead. Graziano’s clone is clearly the yellow type with a golden hue and the characteristic puntinata speckling. Vivai Rauscedo currently shows six clones, and the green clones seem quite clear in profile and the pictures.

Assuming your Friulano vineyard is in the proper location with a mild ripening window to maintain its modest acid and allow slow development with cold nights while controlling what is a pretty vigorous vine, and little rainfall to challenge botrytis-susceptible thin skins, it offers a couple great hacks in the winery. For one, Friulano is the strange white wine that loves oxygen, and not just to precipitate phenols. Stainless versions need careful lees handling to control reduction, and neutral barrels work very well, which allows smaller wineries without expensive equipment to still make compelling wine. With thin skins the yield is quite good, and they are not too tannic or bitter, which allows options when pressing and vinifying. The great challenge is acid retention, and while we can freely add it back in California, the balance is never the same. In Friuli this service is often rendered by Ribolla Gialla.

When I visited the Lison DOCG (one of two DOCG’s for Friulano, the other in Friuli naturally where Rosazzo DOCG is a Friulano-based blend) just north of Venice, Villa Bogdano 1880 was growing both green and yellow clones and they both had their place and function in the final bottlings. While overall acreage has declined over the decades, Friulano has been the key producer in this area for over 150 years, and both clones have been known for a long time. Not surprisingly they agreed that the green type can lend zip and an underlying herbal note while the yellow clone is rich with stone fruit aromatics and is the focus, and in fact they have isolated three different biotypes of yellow clone. The bulk of their vines are well over 50 years old with some over 100. The coexistence of the two types is not a new invention.

The climate and growing conditions in the Lison DOCG are a different type of challenging viticulture. This is the opposite of high-altitude volcanic rock water stress. Located just six meters above sea level and on heavy alluvial clay (over 50%) that is only around two feet deep and overlying “caranto” limestone, this was a new form of extreme viticulture to me. Wet feet and water mitigation is the focus here, along with unpredictable weather, extreme winds, hail, and environmental pressure from humidity. Many vineyards feature deep ditches to drain excess water every few rows, and the heavy clay actually suppresses vine vigor to some extent. Vines need space to expand to balance growth and cover crops are a must. Yields are quite low in the hypoxic soil and given that these are all old vines, Friulano’s productive nature is severely reduced here, benefiting the wines. Vines are also trained higher for ventilation and wide-crossarm lyra systems are common. Aggressive hedging and choking up the fruiting zone with laterals would be a mistake here. It is worth noting that Merlot does exceptionally well here as well, its love of clay balanced by the devigoration of old vines can produce magic of its own, but that is another story for another time.

Given that Friulano has something of Chardonnay’s malleability, it is not surprising that the warm Venetian Plain has very real vintages and can certainly produce wines that bridge the California-Italy divide in being rich and ripe while maintaining atavistic tension with the past. A touch of oak? Block ML? Battonage? Stainless? All are viable options. Medium+ body is the game, but we must accept that Friulano is not a “crunchy white” that is taut with acidity, but rather a pretty aromatic grape that is round. Acidity is not feature here, but rather its job is to be sufficient to carry the body and support the fruit and aromatics. Friulano needs to ripeness like Roussane and picking simply on acid can put it back into Sauvignon Vert territory. It is a late ripener and needs that final push with a cool and slow landing to stick the balance. While I don’t see much interest in its temperamental nature leading to vast planting in California, it offers a fascinating take on bigger white wines that may be out of vogue for the moment, has compelling drinkability and I have no doubt it will circle back into modest popularity, and frankly, it is a winemaker’s grape and fun to work with.

Villa Bogdano 1880 - 185 Bianco IGT Veneto

Vines over 70 years of age, 10% juice fermented in barrique, 18 months in lined concrete. The bit of oak helps push roundness to a new level with full one lemon curd and tropical fruits galore, but not as terpenic as Roussane or a Muscat. It trades of the mineral energy on the finish for more body up front, but it is crystal clean rather than mushy and jumbled. Interestingly, this wine was the best for all tasters with prosciutto, the round body allowing the sanguine salty/minerally character of the meat to shine, like melon and prosciutto in liquid form.

Villa Bogdano 1880 - Lison Classico (DOCG)

Vines over 75 years of age, 8 months in lined concrete with battonage, cryomaceration. Pure yellow fruit explosion, with a ripeness belying 13%. This reminds me of Potter Valley Friulano with savory spice, papaya, pepper and a suggestion of curry leaf balancing all the ripe fruits and body. Richness is balanced by sufficient acidity as mentioned, malolactic blocked to keep the edge. Really nice purity here, and lovely on its own. Not quite full bodied, and not as round as the 185 Bianco above, but showing the face of pure, ripe Friulano.