DARIO PRINCIC

DARIO PRINCIC

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Dario Princic, his stern visage sculpted by a lifetime in the vineyard, can seem an austere and sometimes brusque man but his heart is made of pure gold and, though his innate shyness will never allow him to admit it, he has become in the course of the past 25 a true beacon for not only orange wines that are pure art but for masterful and unforgettable natural wines. Way before these kind of wines came to the international forefront and any trend had begun Dario had been since 1993 making unforgettable jewels from the typical Friuli Collio varieties, such as Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Friulano, Chardonnay and Merlot. Located in the tiny village of Oslavia right at the Slovenian border (not far from colleagues and friends Radikon and Gravner), Dario works about 10 hectares on steeply terraced clay-limestone soils in a strictly organic regime. Likewise, in the cellar there are only wild fermentations and, most importantly, maceration on the skins of 8-45 days and long elevage in large wood, french old barriques, local wood crafted by Dario himself and steel. In Dario’s wines we find a deep and unflinching love for his terroir and an intimate understanding of the innermost soul of the grape.