Vecchie Vigne Bianco by Roncus – Old Vines, but how old?

Every year, I select a few special bottles to set aside, waiting for their bouquet and character to fully develop. It’s a small ritual to stay connected to the concept of time, which can greatly benefit wine. Opening one of these bottles after at least two years is always a special moment, an opportunity to compare its evolution with its original state and to appreciate the transformations that time has brought about. Often, it’s the bottles considered premium in a producer’s catalog that are chosen for this special treatment.

Roncus Wines

After a great experience with Malvasia at a renowned restaurant in Collio, I decided to further explore the products of the Roncus winery. Drawn in by the inviting aromas and distinctive character of Malvasia, I purchased six bottles about two years ago. However, I must admit that the purchases did not evoke the same enthusiasm. Although they were good quality wines, they didn’t reach the heights of excellence that I expected. In any case, I decided to set aside a bottle of their Vecchie Vigne (Old Vines) Bianco, hoping that with time it would reveal its full potential.

Summarizing my experience with Roncus wines:

• The 2019 Friulano seemed lacking in aromas and came out even more impoverished after aging in barrels, resulting in less complexity and fullness than expected.
• The 2019 Malvasia showed inconsistent body density and undefined aromas, with some unpleasant notes of wet grass. The short maceration may not have benefited here. However, the nose was fascinating in many ways, but in the mouth, the wine was lean with a short finish, despite good acidity and sapidity.
• The 2020 Ribolla Gialla stood out as one of the best bottles in the series, with an elegant body and rich aromas that remained balanced while retaining the characteristic freshness of the variety.
• The 2019 Collio Bianco (a blend of Friulano, Pinot Bianco, and Sauvignon) was appreciated for its freshness and aromatic complexity, with a harmonious balance between white pepper and exotic fruit.

In general, I fear that aging methods, some macerations (although brief), and a certain lack of aromatic complexity may have penalized these wines, which are nevertheless good.

Vecchie Vigne Bianco: What Works and What Doesn’t

Vecchie Vigne Bianco is a white wine from the Controlled Denomination of Origin – Collio, produced from hillside vineyards in Capriva del Friuli, in the province of Gorizia. This wine is a combination of three native grape varieties: Malvasia Istriana at 60%, Friulano at 30%, and Ribolla Gialla at 10%. The vines grow on marly soil.

The production of Vecchie Vigne follows organic methods, with manual harvest at the end of September. After a brief maceration of 4 hours, the grapes are pressed and undergo cold static cleaning. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts at 22°C, followed by complete malolactic fermentation.

After a year of aging in 20 hl oak barrels, the wine rests in steel on its own yeasts for 22 months. It is bottled without sterile filtration and in summer, three years after harvest.

Vecchie Vigne Bianco 2017 was paired with seafood pasta seven years after the vintage. It has a golden yellow color with green reflections. The aromatic power is perceived on the nose, accompanied by a variety of profiles suggesting a complex character. The body of the wine is fantastic, tightly woven and supported by good acidity, making it dense and able to fill spaces with flavor. Notes of lemon pasticciotto, vanilla, and dried apricot emerge on the palate, enriched by present but elegantly integrated wood. Throughout the sip, there is a note of decay, which gives the wine a decadent energy. The finish is excellent, with excellent sapidity enriched by polyphenols, and the aromatic herbs of Malvasia close the sip with elegance.

However, despite its qualities, the wine still seems to suffer from a lack of concentration and dynamism in the fruit, a characteristic that I have also found in the wines mentioned above. The pairing with seafood pasta was not optimal, as the wine’s acidity and the spiciness of the dish competed rather than harmonized.

I found unexpected bottles of Roncus at Severino in Padua.

The Meaning of Vecchie Vigne

A characteristic of Roncus wines that deserves recognition and unfortunately is not so common is transparency on the label. The back of the bottle lists the blend percentages, where the vineyards are located and their age, how the grapes were harvested, how the wine was vinified, and technical characteristics, which I find increasingly attractive such as acetic and malic acid concentration, total sulfur, acidity and sugars per liter, pH.

That’s great!

Of course, like for the alcohol content, the data on the label is sometimes approximate (often taste is a better indicator of alcohol content than what is read on the label), but I find this transparency effort truly commendable. However, it was the term Old Vines that left me perplexed.

The term vieilles vignes is obviously French and indicates wines produced from non-recently planted vines. The idea behind this, not strictly codified, designation is that older vines have deeper roots, which therefore have better access to soil nutrients and produce wines that more closely reflect their terroir. In addition, older vines produce fewer but higher-quality bunches, forming the basis for more complex and profound wines.

The French, always ahead of everyone when it comes to wine, not only quickly recognized the potential of old vines but also turned this designation into a marketing tool, like in the case of Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes by Meyer-Fonné.

I absolutely agree, in the sense that, except for the Pinot Blanc by Prieler tasted at a Glass of Burgenland in Vienna 2024, I have always found wines produced from old vines more attractive than those from young vines. However, we must understand the causality here: are old vines the ones that give good wine, or are old vines planted in particularly suitable soils and therefore give rise to good products? Are old vines the ones that give good wine, or is it the producer who, cleverly but not necessarily in bad faith, adds this badge of quality to his best wines?

And above all, how old do vines have to be to be considered “old”?

In the case of Roncus Vecchie Vigne Bianco, the vines are forty years old. I am thirty-five, and in five years, I certainly do not intend to call myself “old”. If we apply to vines the parameters used for our chronological age, we need to rethink this concept.

There would be a solution, and it is the one adopted by the good Ferdinando Zanusso already mentioned in the article on Skok’s Zabura, who called his Malvasia “Vigna 80 Anni” (80 Years Vineyard): we don’t ask the ladies’ age, but we can do it to the vines. Also because the alternative is to call them, rudely, “old.” In many cases, however, where the producer prefers to use the generic label instead of the exact vine’s age, it’s always worth peeking beyond the appearances, because often the old vine is just “mature.”

An example of truly old vines is the Geyserville Zinfandel by Ridge Vineyards.