Fulvio Bressan is the ninth generation of Bressan’s to make wine on the family estate. He is Fulvio Bressan, plain and simple. He is confident. He is without pretense. And he is one of the most highly respected natural winemakers in Friuli. At one point, the estate was certified organic, but Bressan felt that the inspections were too few and far between and of too low a quality. Not wanting to be associated with an inferior process, he wrote his own manifesto that outlines what he will and will not do in the vines or in the cellar.
Fulvio’s wife Jelena plays a large role in the vines and in the upkeep of the family’s winemaking traditions. The elder Bressan, Fulvio’s father Nereo had a long career, in addition to his work at the winery, as a butcher and is reputed to be one of the masters of Prosciutto.
Bressan’s main focus is on the varietals that are indigenous to the area. 130 year old Schioppettino vines that produce a peppery, intense, and yet elegant red are perhaps one of the most remarkable examples of this. There is never a rush to release and the current vintage for sale is likely a harvest from five to eight years ago. When possible, Bressan produces a dry “Moscato Rosa”that is ethereal. The grape is rare and when harvested, most who grow it will make it into a sweet wine, but Bressan prefers what it offers when fermented dry.
No. 3 is a blend of Pinot Nero, Schioppettino, and (surprisingly) Cabernet Sauvignon. This last is an hommage to the time Fulvio spent in Margaux as an apprentice, but the resulting blend of these grapes is unlike anything we’ve tried elsewhere. There is a tannic structure reminiscent of some Cabernet, the delicacy of Pinot Nero, and the Syrah-like spice of Schiopettino. It is unusual, delicious, and provocative in it’s breadth of flavors.
1726 marks the start of the Bressan name as a fixture in the Friulian wine world. Nine generations later, Fulvio and Jelena carry on the traditions developed and the artistry honed over that time. The family’s presentation of their own history gives a nice flavor to how they view developments in European history and is worth quoting:
“the unexpected end of Napoleon and his fictitious empire brought Farra d’Isonzo and the rest of Friuli back under Austrian rule, a dominion which was confirmed in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna. This situation remained substantially unchanged, for Farra, up to the beginning of the First World War”.
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where is the winery?
The winery and vineyards are located in Friuli, in the north eastern corner of Italy. The more prestigious of the local DOC’s is Friuili, but Bressan’s wines are not labelled as such. To be included, he would have increase his yields. Read that again: Bressan would have to increase his yields to be in the local DOC. As he refuses to do this, he bottles under the simple Friuli-Venezia-Gorizia IGT. This tells us a lot about where the winery is located and where Bressan’s head is at.
why is it a Candid Wine? why might you want a taste?
The Bressans produce the sort of bottles that challenge us to be a better distributor. They require attention to detail and great care in presentation. The grapes are largely unfamiliar to our pallets and so they drive us to focus on the fundamentals of wine. And yet, they are by no means inaccesible. They are a joy to drink and they truly make wine lovers happy. We are fortunate to work with the wines in one of the world’s best cities for food. The possibilities for pairing these wines in Chicago excites us.
The wines are imported nationally by VinUS and they deserve a lot of credit for developing the relationship they have with the Bressan family. If you’d like to see what happens when an outlier with generations of experience pours his heart and soul into growing and making wine the way he believes it should be made, these might be for you.
Fulvio Bressan’s Manifesto declares all that he will not do in the vines and in the cellar. Chemicals, additives, tricks, and modern techniques are abhorred and rejected. Indigenous varieties are preferred. Manual labor in the vineyard leads to long slow fermentations and extended elevage in the cellar. Shortcuts are not accepted.
