Russiz Superiore, 2017 Cabernet Franc
No.29 | What's In My Glass
Earlier this week I read in The Wine Economist’s weekly blog post that 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the Collio DOC, which jogged my memory that I still had one bottle of the Russiz Superiore 2017 Cabernet Franc remaining in my cellar. I did a video on this wine back in February 2021, so with three additional years in bottle, this seemed as good a time as any to check in on how this wine has evolved over time.
Located in the northeastern part of Italy in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and sharing its eastern border with Slovenia, Collio is best known as a white wine producing region, with only about 15% of the region's production being red wines. There is currently around 37 hectares of Cabernet Franc vines planted in the region, but surprisingly it is the second most planted red variety (after Merlot with about 66ha) and represents around 4% of the entire DOC’s production. While Cabernet Franc isn’t native to Italy, it is considered a “traditional” variety of Collio with a long history in the region dating back 150 years or so. It is believed that Cabernet Franc along with other French varieties were introduced to the region by French nobleman and agronomist Theodor de la Tour, who founded Villa Russiz in 1868 in the village of Capriva del Friuli, just a stone’s throw from Russiz Superiore.
Purchased by the late Marco Felluga back in 1967, Russiz Superiore can trace its history back over 700 years and is considered the cru of the family’s vineyards. The estate’s contiguous 50-hectare vineyard is tucked up on a south-facing hillside, about 30km inland from the Adriatic Sea, and while white wine remains a strong focus of the estate, Russiz Superiore actually has a long of red wine production, and in particular Cabernet Franc, which is their flagship red.
Thanks to the estate’s positioning relative to the sea in the southern part of Collio, the higher number of sunshine hours this area receives, and the flysch soils (layers of sandstone and marl mixed with clay) known locally as ponca, Cabernet Franc has adapted very well to the environment here at Russiz Superiore. They currently have about 7 hectares of Cabernet Franc vines, with some of the oldest vines being planted back in the 1960s, and all new plantings are done by massale selection from these heritage vines. Decades of experience working with the variety in their vineyard and cellar has produced a Cabernet Franc that is complex, structured, reflective of place and consistently one of the top red wines from Collio.
In the glass, this 2017 was impressive. The nose was very fragrant and perfumed, with intricate and inviting layers of fruit, herbals and spice. The fruits on the nose and palate were very much in keeping with my notes from 2021, that is, more red fruit dominant, with notes of sweet and sour cherry, with a little hint of black raspberry. Currently, the fruit profile is still quite fresh with some hints of dried red fruit notes like goji berries. Supporting the fruit profile was a stunning array of spice and herbal notes, such as liquorice, black pepper and cinnamon that were seamlessly intertwined with aromas of dried mint and nettle, pink florals, and a touch of bergamot. The wine’s juicy, spicy, medium-bodied palate was punctuated by lively, mouth-watering acidity and beautifully integrated fine-grained, silky tannins, and finishing with a touch of sea spray, saline minerality. With time in the bottle, the wine has gained complexity and depth, both aromatically but also structurally, having filled out nicely through the mid-palate. The wine has also become more integrated and harmonious, with all of the elements feeling as though they were right where they were destined to be today when the wine was crafted nearly seven years ago. Composed, poised, structured and concentrated, while also showing great refinement and elegance, this wine still has plenty of life left in it. I think it could easily hang on for another 5 to 7 years or so, and continue to gain additional layers over time.
While there isn’t a lot of single-varietal Cabernet Franc being produced in Collio, the bottling from Russiz Superiore would be one to put on your shopping list. This is a characterful, authentic wine that truly feels like a well-intentioned and thoughtful expression of grape and place, and is a worthwhile example of the variety for any Cabernet Franc lover to seek out.
To learn more about this estate and their impressive range of white wines, check out MJ Towler’s 2023 podcast interview with Ilaria Felluga, 6th generation owner and winemaker at Russiz Superiore.
From the Archives!
While not native Italy, Cabernet Franc is still a very important traditional variety in the northeast and in Tuscany, and the country is second behind France with the most Cabernet Franc plantings globally at around 5,590ha. I’ve done a handful of videos on some Cabernet Francs from Italy, and these are available to watch on YouTube.
Do you have a favourite Cabernet Franc from Italy? Hit me up in the comments below with your picks!
Well this sounds delicious! I will have to seek one out