Quealy Friulano 2022

The variety behind some of northeast Italy’s most exciting whites Friulano (formerly Tocai Friulano) landed in Australia in the 1970s. Quealy sourced its cuttings from the Mildura vineyard of Slovenian émigré Denis Pasut, grafting over a block of 1996 Chardonnay at the family’s Balnarring vineyard as early as 2003. Above all, quality Friulano needs two things: low yields and lots of attention. “Friulano is a bugger to work with, but well worth the effort,” as Tom McCarthy eloquently puts it.

Inspired by his father’s skinsy 2008 Claudius (under the T’Gallant label) and his time in northern Italy, Tom McCarthy’s Turbul is a careful selection of the estate’s ripest Friulano spontaneously fermented on skins in 800-litre terracotta amphorae. From a low-cropping year of incredible quality, 2022 Turbul Friulano spent 103 days on skins without added SO2 and with daily stirring. The juice and skins were basket-pressed before being racked to primarily used puncheons (20% new) for a further 12 months of maturation. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered, with just a tiny amount of sulphur.

The most brightly coloured of the range―a vivid, deep yellow—translates to the palate where snappy citrus flavours are balanced by savoury salinity, weighty, leesy depth and a full, fleshy, powerful core. The texture is tight, driven by acid and precise, delightfully chewy phenolics. Great delivery and a touch of white pepper on the close. Great stuff.