Merlot Dondòn 2017

Born into a family of farmers settled in the province of Udine, more precisely in the village of Borc Dodòn, also known as Borgo Dodone, in the small municipality of Villa Vicentina, within the province of Udine, Denis Montanar assumed control of the lands that had been in the family for four generations in 1989, where the family has dedicated itself to farming, cultivating corn, several kinds of wheat, soya, barley, sunflower, and... grapes.

When he embarked upon making wine, Denis started to think about the ideal way to present his lands to his customers. Intuitively, he realized that he wanted to interfere the least possible with the environment, and that in order to achieve this goal he would have to use only organic and natural fertilizers, which means to say that he would have to totally reject the use of chemical products. In 1995 he expanded his estate, acquiring 10.5 hectares of land and rural houses, where he planted local vines, thus launching the viticultural project “Borc Dodòn” (name of the local town and the regional dialect). The vineyards have been grown organically since 1996.

Here’s the critical question that started to hold his attention while he went on with his project: “Will my lands be able to produce elaborated wines with minimal intervention, with low dosages of sulphur – or even sulphur free –, wines that are captivating for those who drink them shortly after being released, but also that may age in bottle for 10 or 15 years?” If the answer to this question were negative, Denis would know that he had followed the wrong track. If, on the other hand, the answer were positive, then he would know that he was headed in the right direction. The lucky ones who have already enjoyed his wines older than 10 years know that the track he has chosen was the right one.

The wines of Friuli, where Montanar’s vineyards are located, have been regulated by the local DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) since 2007. In that year Denis sent some portions of his wines to the board, and they were declassified since, supposedly, they did not show the typical qualities of the region. Denis was asked to send new portions, but he did not do that, for he realized the board was not prepared to taste an organic wine, which tends, as a result of its natural character, to show different particularities from year to year. Faced with the fact that his project “Borc Dodòn” could not state in the label the designation of the region, he decided to abandon the DOC, and from 2013 on his wines carry his own name.