Ribolla Anfora '16

Josko Gravner in Collio Goriziano, a small northern Italian region bordering Slovenia, is a living legend in the natural wine world.

He's working with indigenous varieties, in this case Ribolla Gialla. The wine undergoes a lengthy skin-contact followed by 6+ years of aging in large neutral barrels. Despite already having nearly a decade of age, this wine has the potential to age even longer.

It is exotic, wild, chaotic, beautiful, puzzling and bizarre all at once. There are these sherry-like notes of nuts, brine alongside black tea, marmalade, honeysuckle and dusty clay. High-toned and bold. The wine continues to get better with time after you pull the cork and continues gaining complexity for days.

Enjoy with savoury cuisine and complex aged cheeses. He's also neighbours with another orange wine icon, Sasa Radikon, which can be a fun side-by-side tasting.