Friuli, in the far northeast of Italy, has a justified rep for making the country's best white wines. “The key to this region is the difference in diurnal temperature,” Justin Bubb explains. “In the growing season, the days are very warm, but the nights are freezing. This allows nice, long ripening and wonderful aromatics for the white wines.” So, it’s good news that Babo’s Pinot Grigio is sourced from this region—specifically from two sites in San Martino al Tagliamento, near Pordenone. The vineyards are over 30 years old and sit at the base of the Alps. The soils are a mix of clay and alpine gravel from alluvial deposits.
The 2024 vintage was a little cooler than the '22s and '23s. The growing season fluctuated between humid and cool. The summer started hot and sunny, but finished on a cool note, pushing back harvest by a week. In his vintage observations, Bubb notes that "overall we are really pleased- the 2024 is looking to be the pick of a run of really good vintages"
Pinot Grigio from Friuli generally has more fleshy layers than, say, those from Veneto and Trentino. Justin underscores this by allowing 8 hours of skin contact in the press. Fermentation is in steel tanks, and the wine remains on lees for five months before bottling. A far cry from the one-dimensional wines that crowd the market, it’s crisp, fresh, compact and bright, awash with pithy citrus flavours, lovely texture and a mouth-watering, tangy close—a quality example of Italian Grigio at a heck of a price.