Quealy Wines Friulano 2022 (6 Bottles) Mornington Peninsula

The variety behind some of northeast Italy’s most exciting whites (see Felluga, Schiopetto et al.) Friulano (née Tocai Friulano) first landed in Australia in the 1970s. Quealy sourced their cuttings from the vineyard of Slovenian émigré Denis Pasut in Mildura, grafting over a block of their 1996 Chardonnay at their 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”, notes winemaker Tom McCarthy.

Inspired by his father’s skinsy 2008 Claudius (under the T’Gallant label) and his time spent in Northern Italy, Tom McCarthy’s Turbul is a careful selection of the estate’s ripest Friulano, fermented wild on skins in 800-litre terracotta amphorae. In 2021 the wine spent 141 days on skins without any SO2 addition and was stirred daily. The juice and skins were basket-pressed on the first day of spring (seeing just a smidgeon of sulphur here at four milligrams per litre) before being racked to primarily used puncheons (20% new) for a further 12 months of maturation. It was bottled, unfined and unfiltered.

Vibrant and intense, it’s a kaleidoscope of flavour and texture; deeply tangy and subtly grippy. The swirling, lightly chewy palate throws off all kinds of golden fruit, pressed flowers, umami, lush botanicals and orange citrus, while the driving freshness keeps the whole riot in check. Hard to describe, compelling to drink: a wine for heart, head and dining table.