| Producer | Borc Dodon di Denis Montanar |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Sku | 1150823 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Tasting Notes: The Denis Montanar Merlot comes from a single vineyard that was planted in 1999 and has never been treated with chemicals. Hand harvested and destemmed, then wild fermented in fiberglass and aged in stainless steel tanks for 2 years, this ripe, earthy red is bottled unfiltered with minimal sulfur added. Plums, white pepper and wild herbs fill out the palate with a touch of almonds on the finish.
Estate History: Denis Montanar descends from a family of farmers who have worked this domain in Friuli for four generations, and the vineyards, the oldest dating back to 1920 and never exposed to herbicides, have been grown organically since 1996. The domain benefits from a unique micro location that is exposed to winds from the Adriatic Sea, just a few miles south, and protected by mountains in the north. The grapes are hand-picked, and wines ferment only with indigenous yeasts (sulfites are never added during fermentation) and are never clarified or filtered. The minimal treatments are all natural with only sulfur and copper used in low dosages in the vineyards and the production is contained by thinning out the vines twice. The domain grows typical grape varieties of Friuli - Merlot, Tocai, Verduzzo, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon and Refosco and produces 25,000 bottles a year.
