Quealy Friulano 2021

Quealy Friulano is a textural Mornington Peninsula white made from a rare northeast Italian variety grown at the organic Balnarring vineyard.

In the hills of Friuli and Collio this grape makes some of Italy's most compelling whites; it reached Australia in the 1970s. Quealy sourced cuttings from the Mildura vineyard of Slovenian émigré Denis Pasut and grafted them over a block of 1996 Chardonnay at Balnarring as early as 2004. Tom McCarthy calls it a bugger to work with and well worth the effort: it demands low yields and constant attention, which is probably why so few Australians have taken it on. The crop is effectively halved at flowering and the canopy carefully managed for exposure. Hand-picked on 10 April, the destemmed fruit fermented twelve days on skins in a cooled open vat.

More restrained than the 2019 was, with pure stone fruit and orange citrus over a refreshing mineral line, savoury flavour woven through the texture and a grippy close. Serve at 11 degrees. Prosciutto, roast chicken, or gnocchi with sage butter.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.