Jermann Blau & Blau Rosso delle Venezie IGT, Italy

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The 2009 Blau & Blau has plenty of up-front juiciness, but quite a bit less in the way of complexity. Blackberry jam, blueberries and sweet spices inform the plump, juicy finish. This is a pretty, immediate wine that is probably best enjoyed over the next 2-3 years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015.This is a somewhat mixed set of wines from Silvio Jermann. The flagships Vintage Tunina, Capo Martino and Were Dreams are less exciting in 2009 than they are in cooler years such as 2008, when less extreme weather balances some of the overtness that is typical of the house’s approach with the top whites. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to taste any Pignolos this year. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2008 Blau & Blau, mostly Blaufrankisch (Franconia) with a dollop of Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) , is especially generous and juicy in this vintage. Blackberries, blueberries, cloves, violets and minerals are some of the notes that jump out the glass in this exuberant and unique Friulian red. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. These new releases from Silvio Jermann include a number of fabulous bottles. In particular, I was impressed with the top 2008s, a vintage where the cool minerality of the year prevails over the house’s typically lush style, an approach I tend to find less interesting. Jermann has a new red on the horizon, the Pignolo Vigna Truss, from recently purchased hillside vineyards in Dolegna, the home of his massive, new cellar. Previously, Jermann’s Pignolo had mostly come from the flats of Villanova, a far less prestigious village in Isonzo, rather than the Collio. I tasted all of the 2009 entry-level whites from screwcaps. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2007 Blau & Blau offers up blueberries, blackberries, herbs and spices in a slightly rustic but pleasing style. Though a touch rough around the edges, I loved the wine for its blast of fruit. This should be delicious at the dinner table. Blau & Blau is 90% Franconia (Blaufrankisch) and 10% Pinot Nero (Blauburgunder). Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012. This set of new releases from Silvio Jermann is once again mixed. Some of the wines are outstanding, but a number of bottlings, the Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco in particular, are far off the pace of the region’s leading producers. In addition to the wines below, I also had a chance to taste Jermann’s 1999 Vintage Tunina, Dreams and Capo Martino. The wines have aged quite well, most notably the Capo Martino, which showed terrific freshness and minerality. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2006 Blau & Blau is a unique blend of 90% Blaufr?nkisch and 10% Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) that was aged in French oak barrels. This quirky wine possesses notable freshness and vibrancy in its dark cherries, sweet herbs, tar, minerals and spices. Medium in body, the wine shows remarkable clarity and precision, with firm, yet beautifully-balanced tannins. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2016. Silvio Jermann has much more competition from his neighbors these days. One can’t help noticing that Jermann is increasingly being left behind by the area’s new generation of ambitious, quality-minded producers, something that was brought home to me quite clearly when I visited the region’s top estates a few months ago. Ironically for a producer famous for his whites, it is actually the reds that are now among the estate’s most interesting wines.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2005 Blau e Blau is made in more a mid-weight style, with a pretty core of perfumed red fruit, licorice and earthiness. The 2005 doesn’t have the depth of the 2006, but the vintage was more modest in its generosity. Blau & Blau is 90% Blaufr?nkisch and 10% Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) aged in French oak. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2010. Silvio Jermann has much more competition from his neighbors these days. One can’t help noticing that Jermann is increasingly being left behind by the area’s new generation of ambitious, quality-minded producers, something that was brought home to me quite clearly when I visited the region’s top estates a few months ago. Ironically for a producer famous for his whites, it is actually the reds that are now among the estate’s most interesting wines.Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900