BORGO DEL TIGLIO - FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA

Borgo Del Tiglio is without a doubt, one of Italy’s greatest wineries. Located in Cormons in the heart of Friuli’s Collio winemaking region, the estate is considered a benchmark in the region. World renowned wine critic and writer, Antonio Galloni, once stated:

“Borgo del Tiglio is one of the world’s greatest estates. Proprietor Nicola Manferrari crafts brilliant, chiseled whites built on saline-infused minerality and energy that capture the essence of some of Friuli’s most compelling terroirs.” – Vinous

As story would have it, in the middle of the 1981 harvest, Nicola Manferrari’s father passed away. Nicola, a pharmacist at the time, was compelled to go to Friuli to lend a hand to his family who desperately needed help completing the harvest.  Enamored by the beauty of his family’s vineyards, it was during this emotionally charged harvest that Nicola fell in love with the hills of the Collio. With this clarity and newfound inspiration, Nicola decided to leave his life of pharmacology behind and in 1982, the Borgo del Tiglio estate was founded. Since then, Nicola has dedicated himself to creating some of Italy’s most age-worthy white wines and bringing prestige to Friuli’s Collio appellation.

He is by far one of the most meticulous winemaker that we know, and there is no aspect of the winemaking process that escapes him. In fact, it’s not uncommon for Nicola to be pruning his vines in the late hours of the night when most are already asleep. The love, care and attention Nicola puts into his vines and winemaking is inspirational to say the least.  

Although the estate covers roughly 11 hectares, it produces a mere 25,000 to 30,000 bottles per year. Nicola Manferrari keeps yields extremely low averaging 30 hectoliters per hectare. All of his wines are fermented and aged in barriques and this is because Nicola believes it is this micro-oxidation that provides his wines with the age-worthiness they are famous for.

His whites are without a doubt Italy’s finest and most cellar worthy. His reds, although made from Bordeaux varietals, possess a finesse that reminds one of Grand Cru Pinot Noir from Burgundy.

Today Nicola is joined by his son Mattia who is in charge of the commercial side of affairs.

Borgo del Tiglio has become one of Italy’s most iconic wineries and its wines have become a staple in some of the world’s greatest restaurants and private wine cellars. We are so proud to be the estate’s exclusive importers in Quebec.