Tenuta Stella
THE AREA Dolegna del Collio – All the vines from Tenuta Stella lie inside the DOC Collio. Tucked into the far northeast corner of Italy, the region of Collio is a curve of bright and sunny hills, slopes and terraces amidst the province of Friuli Venezia Giulia on the border of Slovenia and between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea. Collio enjoys a mild climate with hot but not stifling summers and winters that are cold and often rainy. Thanks to the warm currents from the Adriatic Sea, grapes are kept dry, and the mountains to the north protect the region from cold winds. Ponca is Friuli’s signature soil for wine-growing: layered marl and sandstone, with marine fossils originating at the bottom of what is now the Adriatic Sea, Friuli’s premier wines today are the product of Ponca soils. Those offer elements of minerality and salinity to the wines.
THE HISTORY Tenuta Stella is a Family Passion. Sergio Stevanato, the founder, heir a blown glass shop in Venice from his father and successfully carried on the business. But he and his two sons had a passion: the wines of Il Collio, so he purchased some vineyards in Friuli.
Today, Sergio is still carrying on this prestigious wine reality with the help of Erika and Alberto, who manage the winery and oversee all the production as oenologists and agronomists.
THE VINEYARD The company has 25 hectares, 11 vineyards, surrounded by woods, on terraces with guyot training systems at about 220/270 m asl and cultivated almost exclusively with ndigenous grapes, organically certified.
The soil and subsoil – the so-called “Ponca” is rich in magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, thus making it suitable for quality viticulture and, consequently, for creating wines with ideal characteristics for structure and aromas. The grapes cultivated are Malvasia, Ribolla, Pinot Nero,
THE CELLAR The synergy between plants and the soil is the critical element of Tenuta Stella’s philosophy, leading to the production of high-quality wines. To preserve and respect this quality, they select only the best grapes, use spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast and add only a small amount of sulphite. In addition, Tenuta Stella uses stainless steel, French oak barrels and barriques in the cellar and practices malolactic fermentation on all whites.
The wines
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Spumante Pas Dosé Blanc de Blancs Metodo Classico “Tanni”
100% Chardonnay • marl & sandstone soil • guyot system • south/south-east exposure • 150 m asl • fermented 80% in stainless and 20% in barrique steel with added selected yeasts • second fermentation with selected yeasts added to the bottle • aged in the bottle on lees for 60 months min. -
FRIULANO Collio DOC – 2019
White 100% Tocai Friulano • Vines age from xxxx • marly limestone soil • Guyot • Aspect South-east • Altitude from 210 to 260 asl • spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel • Aged 90% in stainless steel, 10% tonneaux in 2nd passage oak for 10 months • -
MALVASIA Collio DOC – 2019
100% Malvasia Istriana • Marl and sandstone soil • guyot training system • exposure • marl and sandstone
Training System Guyot • Exposure South-East from 180 to 250 m a.s.l.• spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast in stainless • Ageing 60% tonneau 1st and 2nd fill, french oak and mulberry wood - 40% stainless steel for 10 months. -
RIBOLLA GIALLA Collio DOC - 2019
White 100% Ribolla Gialla • Marl & Sandstone Soil • Guyot• Exposure South-east 210 to 270m a.s.l. • Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel • 60% Aged 10 months in a new and second passage in french oak and 40% in stainless steel -
RIBOLLA RISERVA Collio DOC– 2018
100% Ribolla Gialla • marl and sandstone • guyot • Exposure South-East, 270m asl • Spontaneous fermentation on the skins by wild yeast in big french oak for 25 days • Aged in tonneaux for 12 months and further 10 months in big oak. -
PINOT NERO Collio DOC – 2019
100% Pinot Noir • marl and sandstone • guyot • exposure South-west • 150m asl • spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels • aged in new and second passage 225 l barriques for 12 months and refined in French oak for 10 months.
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SDENCINA ROSSO Venezia Giulia IGT – 2018
Merlot, Schioppettino + Refosco dal Penduncolo Rosso • marl & sandstone soil • guyot training system • south-east exposure • 170 - 200 m asl • spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels • aged in new and second passage barriques and further refined for 10 months in French oak.
