My family drank loads of Tocai Friulano when I was a kid. The Sisters Ciambriello - Wanda, Noelia, Irma, and Anna - had all immigrated to the United States in the mid-1950s, coming across on the Andrea Doria. The plush ocean liner was lined with all kinds of Italian art, and offered some of the best food to cross the Atlantic. The pride of the Italian fleet, many a famous movie star crossed aboard decks, enjoying the pools, the food, Italian wines, gelato, shopping, and abundant night life.
During the war, my mother's family was separated, and my mother's mother and the older daughters lived in the north, near Udine, while my mother, the youngest, lived with her grandmother in a remote town just outside Sorento.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is a diverse, multicultural region in northeastern Italy bordering Austria, Slovenia, and the Adriatic Sea .It uniquely blends Mediterranean, Alpine, and Slavic cultures. Udine is a vital transportation hub linking Italy and Europe with this part of the world. It is picturesque, with vistas of the Dolomite mountains, historic cities, and panoramic coastlines. While living in Udine, these young teenage girls discovered Tocai Friulano and fell in love with the fresh fruity aromas and crisp fruit flavors.
Long after the Sister's Ciambriello disembarked, embracing America and her customs, and the Andrea Doria meet his watery end two or three years later (t-boned by the Stokholm in a heavy fog not far from Nantucket - my Uncle Louis Del Toro among the last to leave the ship - returning to America after nursing his mother in their native land), they found their favorite wine again here in the New World. From the time I was a young boy to even this day, Tocai Friulano has always graced our table. Thus, I have a special regard for this varietal wine.
Millbrook Vineyard and Winery has an historic place in Hudson Valley winemaking. The 130-acre estate features the 30-acre vineyard and walking trails. The winery boasts an elegant and rustic loft in their 1940s Dutch-style barn, complete with soaring ceilings and original wood finish. The Loft is a charming location for weddings or private/corporate events. Located in Dutchess County, the winery is owned by Joh Dyson, who in 1976, was instrumental, as Secretary of Agriculture, in creating the New York Farm Winery Act which helped create the wave of small and medium sized wineries across the state (an by extension across the country). Dyson owns a number of high quality producers around the glob and also owns Ten Mile Distillery. Millbrook is among the most decorated quality, estate producers not just in the state, but on the east coast.
Tocai Friulano (also known as Sauvignonasse) is a vinifera white wine grape prevalent in the Italian region of Friuli, and adjacent territories of Slovenia .Tocai Friulano is the grape widely planted in the Friuli region located in the northeastern corner of Italy. It is widely planted in Chile, where it was historically mistaken for Sauvignon blanc. Since 2007 wines made from Tocai Friulano have been labeled as Friulano in Friuli.
Millbrook has successfully grown Tocai Friulano since the 1980s. The vine thrives in this region due to its winter hardiness and growing conditions similar to those of northern Italy. These are 100% estate Hudson River Region wines. I wrote glowing review of last year's vintage, and this year's review is much the same. But this year, I'm including a review of the Lollipop Hill bottling as well.
2024 Millbrook Estate Tocai Friulano was harvested at the end of September with warm, dry weather. The wine was made with cool fermentation and and aging in stainless steel tanks for seven months were techniques utilized to preserve varietal character and freshness. The winery produced 1,200 cases, As advertised tropical notes, complimented by key lime, gooseberry, green apple, Bosc pear, wet slate, and a hint of fresh cut grass give this wine it's incredible fresh start. There's a lovely fresh acidity through out that make the fruit very, very lively, and the wine ends with a citrus pop. A refreshing, easy drinking wine. Absolutely love it.
Lollipop Hill is a specific vineyard block located at Millbrook. The vines on this specific hillside—primarily planted to the white grape variety Tocai Friulano—were planted in the early 1990s .Lollipop Hill is distinguished by its glacial shale soils and elevation, and produces Millbrook's signature single-site white wine.
The Millbrook Estate Tocai Friulano Lollipop Hill 2023 was "fermented and aged in Neutral French Puncheons for 8 months... represents a unique look at this often-overlooked Northern Italian grape," reports winemaker Ian Bearup in his notes. A key lime mousse, fresh sour apple and young pear, grapefruit, and citrus combine with tropical notes of kiwi and guava. There is a creamy mid-palate, smooth, and silky, with notes of vanilla and minerality, end with a pop of ginger, then dissolve into a spritely zippy finish where green apple, and key lime, and lemonade linger. An altogether more mature wine, something more stately and sublime come through.
So, as you can see, I have an emotional connection to this wine. You don't have to spend time with my loud Italian family, and you don't need to visit the wreck of the Andrea Doria, to get a taste of northeastern Italy. All you have to do if try one of these lovely wines - especially the Lollipop Hill - to gave a gourmet Italian experience. Tasting these wines will be like tasking a little trip.
Boun appetito e boun viaggio!