Emilio Bulfon
Friuli
Emilio Bulfon has chosen to track down, recover and revive prestigious ancient vines that are native to the area. By doing this, Bulfon has put a breath of new life into his estate and has done much to improve the future of a region where many of the hills lie semi-abandoned and forgotten. The estate is very special: wines are made with the utmost care; the quality of fruit is stunning and winemaking immaculate.
The arrival into the business of Signor Bulfon’s son and daughter has necessitated some changes. Production has had to increase and this has been done by acquiring a number of new sites in the hills around Valeriano and Pinzano. Strangely, this is good news. Bulfon has had the time to find excellent vineyard sites and for some years has had an experimental vineyard with over 200 varieties in it.
It is not just the production that has increased, this year there are two new wines: Pecol Ros and Cordenossa, both red, both brilliant in totally different ways. The Pecol Ros is a wine that I have been looking forward to for the last ten years, a marriage of the estates output with the inclusion of local hero Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso. It is a wine that will require maturation and it has excellent potential. The Cordenossa is a vibrant reflection of this ancient grape which has contemporary appeal, the first release was last year but because it had not been recognised by officialdom we were not able to import it. This year it is a proper Vino da Tavola and none the worse for it.
Ironically, it is the label that draws many people to this wine. It was designed by Bulfon himself and was inspired by a medieval fresco of the Last Supper in the church of Santa Maria dei Battuti in Valeriano. The bottles can look similar, but I assure you the wines are not.
Website: http://www.bulfon.it