Wine Reviews: I Clivi

Updated on October 21, 2025.

I first encountered I Clivi’s Friulano at a renowned (though, in my opinion, overrated) restaurant in Collio. The wine impressed me with its intensity and explosive fruitiness, prompting me to purchase a case to further explore this winery. I became fascinated by Mario Zanusso’s work: the detailed and polished videos on the website, as well as the genuine and pleasant email interactions (I was able to purchase the Brazan at the previous year’s price since it was out of stock during my initial inquiry), conveyed the image of a meticulous and engaged winemaker.

With I Clivi, we’re talking about authentic organic winemaking, a commitment to quality that avoids shortcuts or gimmicks. As noted in the article on Skok’s Zabura, they are among the few in the area truly keeping up with the times, focusing decisively on single-vineyard wines. In my view, the future lies there: in highlighting the uniqueness of individual terroirs. This philosophy is clearly reflected in their flagship wines: Brazan, a Friulano expressing a vineyard in Collio, and Galea, from the Colli Orientali del Friuli. The same grape variety and identical vinification yield results that showcase the distinctiveness of their origins. Here are the wines I tasted.

Malvasia – I Clivi 2022

• Tasting Date: 31-01/01-02/2024
• Pairing: Tuscan-style salmon
• Color: Straw yellow
• Aromas: Elderflower, chamomile, iodine, white peach

The nose is rather delicate—expressive but restrained. The palate, on the other hand, is powerful and oily, with an intensity balanced by a beautiful crispness and tension. Floral notes dominate the taste, with low acidity initially expressed as a slight tingling on the tongue, later unfolding into subtle waves on the lips. The solid structure of the wine clearly comes from its body.

The finish is thrilling, seemingly endless, creating an almost chewable sensation that is intricate and engaging on the palate, with citrus peel notes perfectly rounding out the experience. Excellent with salmon—the fish’s creaminess amplified the wine’s fruity aromas. A gastronomic Malvasia.

Schioppettino – I Clivi 2021

• Tasting Date: 24-25/10/2023
• Pairing: Pasta with peppers, sausage, and eggplant
• Color: Violet with ruby highlights
• Aromas: Blackcurrant, pepper, game

A fresh and vibrant Schioppettino with an exciting character. The peppery element is predominant. On the nose, the wine is warm and inviting. On the palate, it has body but also great freshness, with soft, slightly grainy tannins felt around the mouth and palate. The pronounced acidity and fantastic pepper note invigorate the tongue. Spicy on the palate, the finish recalls tangy redcurrant, lingering and pleasant.

The peppery note runs throughout, making it flavorful and exciting. Its freshness and low alcohol content cleanse the palate, making it ideal with pasta dishes.

Galea – I Clivi 2021

• First Tasting Date: 16-17/09/2023
• Pairing: Grana Padano cheese
• Color: Golden yellow with straw highlights
• Aromas: Pineapple, vanilla, butter, river stone

On the nose, the oak is overwhelming. This dominance is also present on the palate but reveals additional nuances. It’s not a taut wine, but it works thanks to a light body that enhances the perception of an aromatic “cloud.” The acidity is strong but never aggressive, lingering on the lips before exploding on the palate and extending over time. Its salinity is also noteworthy.

The finish is long and elegant, with well-balanced bitterness touching on citrus notes. Perfect with Grana Padano—wine and cheese seemed to travel parallel tracks before colliding in a burst of flavors.

However, the Galea 2021 left me disappointed, especially for a wine I hoped would express the vineyard’s essence. Unfortunately, the oak overshadowed much of the personality expected from such a cru. Nevertheless, it is well-crafted, though it feels “masked,” almost deceptive. Luckily, I had two bottles and decided to wait at least a year before opening the second, hoping the oak would settle. And indeed…

• Second Tasting Date: 16/09/2024
• Pairing: Paella
• Color: Straw yellow
• Aromas: Gentle wood toasting, white flowers, white peach

A year in the bottle made a real difference. The oak has integrated much better than before. The nose remains ethereal, minimalist like the entire wine, and while the oak still intrudes slightly, it has achieved greater harmony. The body shows subtle elegance, with good acidity felt first on the tongue and then on the lips, supporting a smooth sip.

On the palate, white peach notes reemerge, while the finish reveals bitter almond and balsamic hints that add gravitas. The rich salinity makes the experience nearly infinite, with lingering wood tones, almost ironically considering this wine was intended as a pure vineyard expression rather than a vinification showcase. A classy white, masterfully crafted.

It paired beautifully with paella, initially softening the spiciness of the dish, then enhancing the perception of flavors, offering unique depth to the pairing.

Clivi Brazan Bianco – I Clivi 2021

• Tasting Date: 08-09/12/2023
• Color: Straw yellow with greenish highlights
• Aromas: Vanilla, petrol, anise

The oak is noticeable here too, but the denser and darker character of Brazan provides a structure better suited to handle it. The nose reveals little of the Friulano, reminiscent instead of a non-fruity Riesling.

On the palate, the oily body combines with medium acidity, dominated by a marked anise flavor and a hint of pink grapefruit. Almond is faintly perceived in the long finish, which ends with a perfectly executed duet of polyphenols and salinity, accompanied by a distinct oak note.

An extremely satisfying and savory wine that immediately invites another sip. In this case, the winemaking and timing of bottle opening harmonized well.

• Tasting date: 06/06/2025
• Color: Straw yellow
• General impression: A dragonfly whose body is the acidity that serves as a pivot, while powerful but ephemeral characteristics flit about in different moments of the sip.

Once again, time has given much to this wine, which already a year ago was remarkable. The nose has the depth of Collio, but also the sweetness of cotton candy (probably the result of a more complete integration of the wood), shades of gasoline as I had noticed at the last tasting, and a marked note of orange zest. Complexity and style are the keywords of the nose.

The palate rests on a medium acidity, perfectly wrapped in the fruit, energetic enough to be perceived as a timid buzz on the tongue, then to broaden horizontally and dripping in the finish of the sip.

Flavors of stone fruit and oregano introduce the long and sharp bittering finish, built around the character of pink grapefruit. A decent sapidity and salinity help to give shape to the sip of a wine undeniably classy and refined, which however, in its soft and dense body, leaves room for the fruit.

It would have been excellent if the oxygen had not silenced it so soon. With pasta with mussels it created a happy pairing, building something new — and more than valid — with the dish.

Summary of I Clivi Wines

The wines of I Clivi move on a register of authenticity and technical precision, with a stylistic coherence that reflects an idea of a considered wine, never constructed. The Schioppettino convinces for sharpness and immediacy, while Galea and Brazan tell of the ambition to translate the vineyard into wine — a noble intention, at times restrained by a use of wood that brushes excess and requires patience to integrate completely. In the end, however, there emerges a hand capable of uniting energy and measure, letting time chisel the balance between the vati elements.

It is a common challenge also for other Friulian interpreters, such as Marco Sara’s Monte della Guardia: one must wait for fruit and teterroir to return as protagonists. In conclusion, I Clivi remain a certainty for those who seek identity-driven, living and never domesticated wines, capable of a sincere rather than showy elegance.

Beyond Schioppettino, other “wines of joy” are the Beaujolais.