Fabrizio’s ‘La Rina’ Rosso sees us delving deep into the treasure troves of Piemontese grape obscurity, the wine focusing on the almost impossible-to-find variety of Slarina. Only more recently snatched back from the brink of extinction, Fabrizio jokes that he is ‘the most important producer of Slarina in the world,’ his tiny 1.5 hectare plot (planted in 2013) likely holding the mantle for the largest single-vineyard planting of Slarina anywhere in the world. A thin-skinned grape that finds its structural and flavor profile somewhere within the Venn diagram of Grignolino, Freisa, and Ruché, Iuli’s La Rina is fermented and raised entirely in cement tanks, treated to a relatively brief 10-day maceration on skins in an effort to showcase varietal transparency. Headily aromatic, the La Rina lifts from the glass with exuberant and fresh red fruits; tart raspberry fruit leather and strawberry coulis strapped together amidst a taut frame of tannins and chiseled acidity. Plenty of ‘new grape’ whimsy and intrigue to be found here, though rest assured this is a wine that combines plenty of intellect with an eminent drinkability.
With a blend of hospitality learned from his mother within the walls of his family's restaurant, combined with his love of the land, fed by his father and grandfather, finished with the artistic touch of his own hand, Fabrizio Iuli creates wines that are just like him: warm, intelligent, and authentic. A friend everyone wants to have! Fabrizio was raised amidst the bustle of the family taverna, juxtaposed with days spent wandering the grain fields and vineyards planted just behind. After attending school for gemology and jewelry design, Fabrizio returned to his hometown and continued helping in both the restaurant and vineyards, carving out time between seasons to travel the world. Over time, Fabrizio’s grandparents passed and the restaurant shuttered, though constant requests for the restaurant’s ‘house wine’ continued to flow, eventually prompting Fabrizio to turn entirely to viticulture, purchasing an old cascina nearby, slowly planting a slew of new vineyards, and eventually labeling and selling the former restaurant’s ‘house wines’ under the Iuli moniker.