Bartolotta in the Wynn Hotel is just about the lushest, most luxurious restaurant ever. Even sitting at the bar can make you feel like a million bucks- especially when you’re drinking something as delicious as Schiopetto’s Friulano.
Paul Bartolotta’s concept is deceptively simple- the freshest seafood and shellfish, as well as homemade pastas and other Italian receipes. It’s the flawless execution that complicates matters- and of course the fish and shellfish flown in daily from all along Italy’s coastline. Yes, daily.
The perfect match for such unparalleled seafood? Well, the bottle of Friulano from classic Friulian winery Schiopetto we ordered certainly stood up to the task. This is a racy, mineral-driven white, crafted from the indigenous white grape we used to refer to as “Tocai Friulano”, before the term “Tocai” became reserved only for the Hungarian “Tokay” wines. Friulano is a singular wine- usually emanating a greenish hue, almost always with notes of pear and almond on the nose.
Schiopetto’s version of Friulano is a classic in every sense, and is elevated by a particular balance and weight one the palate. I would love to taste an old vintage of this wine- all those pretty aromatics and steely acid edges would have to find somewhere to go, and some way to relax with the passing of time. Although already a fine intersection of fantastic terroir and skilled wine making, I think this Friulano also has the potential to evolve into something different, and truly special.
