Questo vino
Vineyard and terroir
Nereo comes from 1.0582 ha in Corona, a hamlet of Mariano del Friuli in the province of Gorizia, on part of cadastral parcel 1388. The calcareous mineral soil is rich in iron sesquioxides but poor in organic matter and other nutrients. This restricts vegetative growth and produces extremely low yields while benefiting the grapes’ macro- and micro-components.
The vineyard was planted in 1991. Its south-facing rows run northwest–south, with 4,630 vines/ha at 2.70 × 0.80 m spacing. Unilateral Guyot training retains four or five buds per cane; light summer trimming improves the foliage-to-fruit ratio, and no fertilizer is used. Rootstock is SO 4 Kl. 31 Op., with Friuli Venezia Giulia clonal selection. Yield is 3,000 kg/ha, or 0.6 kg per vine.
Grapes
100% Pignolo, an ancient indigenous red variety of Friuli. Its naturally low productivity and formidable youthful tannins call for exceptionally long maturation in wood.
Vinification
Harvest is very late, extending from the final ten days of October into early November. Picking is exclusively manual and timed according to the ripening curve. The grapes are destemmed and softly pressed, then undergo 30 days of primary fermentation and extended skin maceration in stainless steel.
Ageing
The wine matures for 20 years in three separate casks made from mulberry, wild cherry and wild pear. After bottling, groups of 500 bottles are placed in large chests and held for another 15 months in a temperature-controlled warehouse. The prolonged élevage is intended to refine Pignolo’s initially rough, powerful tannins toward a silky, velvety texture.
Technical data
- Alcohol: 13.5% vol.
- Total acidity: 9.50 g/L
- SO₂: 60 mg/L
Tasting profile
Vivacious ruby red. The bouquet is initially reserved, opening gradually toward vinous and fruity aromas. The palate combines good alcohol and acidity with harmonious fruit, an elegant body, delicacy and softened tannins. Its long maceration, substantial fixed acidity and extended wood ageing equip it for prolonged development.
Label / history
Nereo began with the decision to reserve half of the Pignol harvested in 1997 and observe its evolution under exceptionally long ageing. The wine is dedicated to Fulvio Luca Bressan’s father, Nereo Bressan, born in 1932 and still working in the vineyards when the description was written.
Pignolo has a documented history reaching back centuries. It appeared in Abbot Gio Batta Michieli’s late-seventeenth-century Bacco in Friuli, while G. Poggi’s Atlante Ampelografico described both the vine’s fragility and the distinctive, age-resistant quality of its wine. A 1930 Pignolo later tasted by Professor Dalmasso was characterized as a singular, luxurious style.
