To establish a date of the connection between the Pecorari family and viticulture in the Isonzo valleys, near Gorizia, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, just 10 kilometers from the border with Slovenia, we have to go back to 1879. Since then this connection has never been broken, passing through five generations, and arriving at the current owner Alvaro Pecorari who, starting from the important development work done by his father, gave it a definitive organization through the creation of Lis Neris winery.
Alvaro’s determination has helped to make the wines produced the decisive leap in quality, thanks to a careful study of the peculiar characteristics of the land. Most of the 74 hectares are located on a small plateau, born from gravel originating from the melting of glaciers, between the northern Slovenian border and the right bank of the river Isonzo, on land composed of river pebbles (called “Claps”) which absorb heat during the day and release it at night. Climatically, these are lands with continental temperatures that take advantage of both the sea breeze (the Gulf of Trieste is less than 20 kilometers away) and the freshness of the Balkan winds (including the impetuous Bora), a condition that guarantees an excellent temperature range.
In the vineyard, the pursuit of excellence passes by a mix between the latest conception techniques and manual-artisan approach for the most important operations, such as pruning, selection of buds, peeling, thinning of bunches and harvesting. In addition, the winery has begun to follow a biological approach in the vineyard and an ecological philosophy in the cellar, with the abandonment of synthetic chemicals, the control of CO2 emissions and the achievement of energy autonomy, thanks to the solar-photovoltaic system.
Among its most iconic winethere is, without doubt, Lis, a blend of the three most representative grapes of the winery (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc) obtained from vineyards of about 25 years planted, at a density of about 5500 vines per hectare, in San Lorenzo Isontino, on a plateau of jade and limestone. After the harvest, with a yield of about one kilogram per plant, the result of a first careful selection in the vineyard, the grapes ferment and, subsequently, mature for just under a year in small barrels of 500 liters, in contact with the fine lees, thanks to frequent bâtonnage. Another year of rest in glass, after bottling, and the wine is ready for marketing.
The 2016 vintage shows a pretty intense straw-yellow color in which greenish streaks are not lacking, as if to give a first idea of wine in which generous and spicy notes, on the one hand, and fresh and vegetable notes, on the other. can be traceable. The nose in fact confirms the impression with an olfactory range that opens on notes of kumquat, iodine, freshly ripe peach and chlorophyll, followed by sultanas, chamomile, strawberry tree honey and officinal herbs, with final echoes, just hinted, of vanilla and carpentry. The palate develops around the two foundations of glyceric fat and mineral and iodine flavor, slowly leaving room for a touch of citrus acidity that lightens the important palatal impact; all enriched by the return of ripe yellow fruit and the mineral and vegetable components that accompany the sip until a citric and juicy finish.
Rating: 91/100
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