Ribolla Gialla Riserva 'Extreme' Renato Keber 2016
ArtisanalThe Ribolla Gialla Extreme by Renato Keber is an orange wine with character, personality, and aromatic richness. It is produced with skin maceration for over a month and spontaneous fermentation in large oak barrels. The tasting reveals body, structure, minerality, and great freshness, with aromatic notes of candied citrus, dried fruit, spices, and hydrocarbons.
“Extreme” is the Ribolla Gialla from the Renato Keber winery and, as suggested by the name itself, we are faced with a bold and extreme interpretation aimed at exploring the potential of this indigenous Friulian grape variety. The expression of this Ribolla Gialla, the result of work on the vineyards of the hills of Cormons, in the province of Gorizia, becomes part of the sensual world of orange wine. This type of wine, to achieve this orange coloration, must keep the bunches (strictly white grape) in long maceration on the skins.
The grapes of Renato Keber's Ribolla Gialla “Extreme” take root in soils mainly composed of sandy marls, located on the hills of Zegla. Once the harvest begins, after a careful selection of the best bunches, all the work moves inside the winery. Here, without controlling the temperatures, we wait for the indigenous yeasts to trigger the start of alcoholic fermentation inside the cement tanks with a skin maceration of over a month.
The aging and maturation of the wine are completed respectively with 12 months on the fine lees in large oak barrels and 36 months in steel.Observing the Ribolla Gialla Keber, one immediately notices the extraordinary potential of this versatile grape variety. With the presence of suspended elements, “Extreme” presents itself with an intense copper color, tending towards ancient gold. Brought to the nose, the sensations are multiple, from candied citrus to hints of honey, from toasted hazelnut to slight fragrances of underbrush. Rich palate, with broad and muscular shoulders but with a minerality and a spicy thrill that makes everything gentler and more seductive. In short, drinking “Extreme” makes one pleasantly realize how Renato Keber has interpreted and pushed to the limit a grape variety of the territory through a production philosophy capable of enhancing its most hidden qualities.