Guerra Albano is situated in the heart of Colli Orientali, quite close to the Slovenian border. Working up to 15 hours a day in the field, Dario Guerra and family are in a state of near-constant green harvest, sculpting individual plants so that, no matter what the weather, they effectively have every exposition to choose from! In the cellar, they use a peristaltic pump, allowing for softer, less astringent wines and more integrated tannins. This weighty Friulano also has exceptional acidity and a unique “marrow” quality that speaks of soft minerals and salt. Layered floral notes and stone fruit round out the palate.

3rd generation Collio winemaker Dario Guerra describes his family as being "students of the leaves". They spend hours each day carefully sculpting individual plants to help guide exposition. Perched at 200-220 meters near the border with Slovenia, cooler temperatures, 45 year-old vines and excruciating low yields lend Dario's Pinot Grigio an unparalleled concentration and viscosity. A study in nature and mathematics, this wine is a weave of Friuli's telltale tropical fruits and velvety tannins.

"Wine is made in the vineyard, not the cellar," says Dario Guerra. "The cellar should only influence about 10% of what you do." Toward that end, he and his family spend countless hours each month tending their low-yield, dry-farmed vines, and treating each plant like an individual. In the end, their Refosco comes in at less than 1 bottle per plant! This classic monovarietal red from Colli Orientali is made using 2 different clones - one emphasizing structure, the other aromatics. It is taut, delightfully precise, and energetic, with dark forest fruits and a spicy personality drawn directly from the local ponca soils.

With just 10 hectares of vines in the Colli Orientali DOC, Guerra Albano is a discovery we’re exceptionally proud of at Small Vineyards. Here, 40-year-old vines and an average of just 900 grams (less than 1 bottle) per plant help deliver a sparkling wine with true poise and complexity. With an array of orchard fruit and lively minerality, this Brut also exhibits the estate's trademark “marrow” quality that bespeaks of soft minerals and salt. The bubbles are soft and silky, with an elegant, lingering finish.

Beyond the citrus, stone fruit, and tomato leaf one might expect from this variety, Guerra Albano's Sauvignon also adds a dose of pure Friuli (tropical fruits and tiers of minerality) to the equation. Old vines, cool evenings made cooler by alpine Tramontana winds, and rich, calcareous soils all add to this wine's overall tension and complexity. On the palate, the lush fruit weaves back and forth with a through-line of natural acidity. As one online seller astutely notes, "Similar wines usually cost 2 times as much."

Records of Ribolla Gialla go all the way back to the 13th century in Colli Orientali (before that it came from the Greek island of Kefalonia, where it's still known as Robola) and today it is synonymous with Friuli's most prestigious DOCs. In order to create a balanced wine from this tricky varietal, savvy producers know you always have to harvest by hand: clusters are irregular and unpredictable, and the size of grapes can vary widely, even on a single bunch. As with all of his whites, Dario's small batch Ribolla Gialla benefits not only from meticulous, season-long pruning, but also from rich calcareous soils and 40+ year-old vines.