Miani is the home of Enzo Pontoni, who must be one of the finest white wine producers in Italy, if not the world. No words can accurately describe this modest estate located in the DOC of Colli Orientali del Fruili, near the village of Buttrio.
Miani has 13 hectares of organic vineyards, spread across multiple varietals. These include Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Refosco.
All wines are barrel fermented, with about 40% consisting of new French oak. Processes in the cellar remain rustic, discarding malolactic fermentation, and unconcerned with temperature control. Wines are bottled per vineyard, to highlight the subtle changes from one to the next. It’s not just his whites that are worth noticing. You’ll also find a rich and polished Merlot, and a flagship Refosco known as “Calvari.” Both are aged in 100% new oak.
Enzo Pontoni took over the family vineyards after his father passed away. This reclusive maverick owns a mere four hectares of vineyards and rents another nine, all of which he runs organically and from which he produces less than 700 cases a year. He works in shockingly unassuming cellars where he transforms his minuscule yields of a dozen different varieties into delightful, rich wines. The result is a tiny line of decadent, full-bodied, complex wines that are near impossible to obtain and one of which is perhaps Friuli’s greatest example of Sauvignon Blanc.
