Marco Sara

  • Friuli, Italy
Marco Sara

Marco Sara is an eight-hectare certified organic wine estate in the town of Savorgnano del Torre, in the northwestern corridor of the Friuli Colli Orientali denomination.   Savorgnano is not an official subzone of the Colli Orientali, but it is largely considered one because of its unique characteristics.  It’s the the coolest and wettest area in the appellation, with around 1600-1800mm of annual rainfall. Compare that to Miami, at around 1570mm, and Seattle, with a measly 950mm!  Savorgnano has a significant concentration of ponca soil, also known as opok in neighboring Slovenia, and as Flysch di Cormòns to geologists.  Ponca is a friable marl, nearly-alkaline due to its high percentage of calcium carbonate, with alternating layers of clay or sandstone.  The vineyards of Savorgnano are also surrounded by dense forests, with a dramatic backdrop of the Julian Alps.  Naturally, botrytis cinerea is present every year and has a place in the culture of winemaking here, both for dry and sweet wines.  Past generations of villagers of Savorgnano knew that this combination of factors were capable of creating great white wines, marked by saltiness and verticality.  In fact, the best slopes with ponca were reserved for white grapes and the red grapes were planted on the lower, flatter parcels with more fertile clay.  

Marco, whose first commercial release was 2003, comes from this lineage and mindset.   He has clear convictions, which have been tested over the twenty harvests of his career.   Though he runs with the natural wine crowd, he is convinced that some of its tropes--constant experimentation, maceration with white wine skins, the dreaded ‘funkiness’--have, paradoxically, obscured terroir, much in the same way as the superripe barriqued wines of the 1990s.  His entire modus operandi is to make the terroir of Savorgnano speak clearly, with the grape variety being a mere vessel.  He is a man dedicated to the ponca

Though Marco and his wines are quite well known in some circles in Italy, he has not had a major or steady presence in the United States.  Until now.  Welcome, Marco!

To learn more:

www.marcosara.com
@marcosaravignaiolo
 

 

Image Producer PRODUCT Description Country / Region

DB4203-22
Organic
Marco Sara Ribolla Gialla Friuli Colli Orientali
2022
Ribolla Gialla
100% Ribolla Gialla, facing East. Direct-press. Fermentation and aging in concrete, with no malolactic. Kept on lees for 6 to 8 months. ...
Italy

DB4203-23
Organic
Marco Sara Ribolla Gialla Friuli Colli Orientali
2023
Ribolla Gialla
100% Ribolla Gialla, facing East. Direct-press. Fermentation and aging in concrete, with no malolactic. Kept on lees for 6 to 8 months. ...
Italy

DB4200-22
Organic
Marco Sara Friulano Friuli Colli Orientali
2022
Friulano
100% Friulano, the wine that most tells the tale of Marco’s territory.  Made similarly to the Ribolla, and similar levels of production.
Italy

DB4201-21
Organic
Marco Sara Friulano Friuli Colli Orientali `Erba Alta`
2021
Friulano Italy

DB4202-20
Organic
Marco Sara Friuli Colli Orientali `Monte della Guardia`
2020
Friulano
Monte della Guardia is Marco’s cru, 0.5ha, super steep terraces descending from 300 to 175m.  80% Friulano, 20% Picolit on ponca (...
Italy

DB4206-21
Organic
V:91
Marco Sara Schioppettino Friuli Colli Orientali
2021
Schioppettino
Schioppettino, From 0.5ha average age of vines: 20 to 60 years old. Maceration for 20/25 days in steel or cement, indigenous yeasts in...
Italy

DB4206-22
Organic
Marco Sara Schioppettino Friuli Colli Orientali
2022
Schioppettino
Schioppettino, From 0.5ha average age of vines: 20 to 60 years old. Maceration for 20/25 days in steel or cement, indigenous yeasts in...
Italy

DB4207-21
Organic
V:90
Marco Sara Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso Friuli Colli Orientali `El Re`
2021
Refosco Italy

DB4207-22
Organic
Marco Sara Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso Friuli Colli Orientali `El Re`
2022
Refosco Italy

DB4205-22
Organic
Marco Sara Cabernet Franc Friuli Colli Orientali `Frank`
2022
Cabernet Franc
100% Cabernet Franc, which Marco calls the “the foreigner who’s not a foreigner.”  Usually harvested in early Oct, fermented between steel...
Italy

DB4318-22
Organic
Marco Sara Verduzzo Passito Friuli Colli Orientali
2022
Italy

DB4204-22
Organic
Marco Sara Picolit Colli Orientali del Friuli
2022
Italy