Radikon 2020 IGT Venezia Guilia 'RS20'

75% Merlot 25% Pignolo.

Friuli, Italy

The vines are planted on ponca, a compressed, flaky clay of marl and sandstone that is typical in this part of Friuli. They grow on a south-facing slope right by the winery; average around 30 years old; yield about 45 hl/ha; and are farmed organically and harvested by hand like all Radikon vineyards. The grapes are destemmed and spontaneously co-fermented in 25-hectoliter oak vats without the addition of yeasts, sulfur or temperature control. Maceration is 8-14 days with daily punchdowns. The wine is aged in 25-35-hectoliter botti for a year and bottled without fining or filtering and with a tiny amount of sulfur. "RS" is short for "Rosso Sasa", named for its creator, Sasa Radikon.

Run by the Radikon family since 1980, the winery has been committed to natural wine-making since 1995, abandoning chemicals, minimizing treatments, and employing low yields and hand-harvesting. The unique vinification process includes long skin maceration and aging in wooden barrels, resulting in unfiltered, deeply colored wines that are best enjoyed at 15° C/59°F.