Location: Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
The Meroi Estate is located in Italy’s Northeast Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the Buttrio area of the Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC. Buttrio is a hilly, high elevation area, ideal for vine growing and approximately 40% of the farmland in Buttrio is devoted to the famous white varietals of Friuli, which include Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc as well as red varietals of Merlot and Refosco. This area has earned a renowned reputation for its world-class whites, which are recognized as some of the best in all of Italy, and Meroi is amongst the leading producers in the region.
Meroi was founded in 1920 by the current owner Paolo Meroi’s great grandfather, Domenico Meroi. Over the years Meroi has been producing incredible single varietal white wines, as well as a pair of stunning single vineyard reds, Merlot and Refosco, from their cru vineyard “Dominin” which have been ranked in our Top 100 wines in consecutive years. The single vineyard reds are an incredible display of terroir and winemaking, making them some of the most unique wines in Italy.
In 2004 Meroi decided to purchase land in the Zitelle vineyard, which is considered one of the premier vineyards in the region. Once an old clay quarry, this northern exposed vineyard is kissed by the heavy sun of Buttrio during the day and cooled by the north winds during the night, which perfect for the grape varietals of this region. After the purchase Meroi did a extensive survery on the terroir to determine which varietals would do best, and in what specific location in the vineyard, then divided the land in 9 different parcels best suited for each varietal.
In 2013 Meroi released their first vintage from Zitelle. A Sauvignon Blanc from the Barchetta parcel and a Malvasia from Durì. We recently had the opportunity to taste these extremely limited releases and they were simply remarkable. These wines showcased a remarkable display of terroir and sense of place. The success of these wines will surely not be kept secret for long as they were some of the most compelling whites we have tasted in all of Italy.
Today, Paolo and his son Damiano continue to practice the tradition started back in the in 1920 by Domenico and is at the forefront of Friulian wine.
To find out more about the wines of Meroi, please visit their website: http://www.meroi.wine
Vintage | Wine | Color | Rating |
2013 | MEROI Merlot, Vigna Dominin | 94 | |
2013 | MEROI Refosco, Vigna Dominin | 95 | |
2015 | MEROI Nèstri | 92 | |
2015 | MEROI Chardonnay, Vigna Dominin | 95 | |
2015 | MEROI Sauvignon, Zitelle 'Barchetta' | 94 | |
2015 | MEROI Malvasia, Zitelle 'Durì' | 95 |