Dalia Maris takes its name from the Latin phrase “Stella Maris”, which is an expression meaning “look to the north star”; a phrase that encapsulates the freedom to navigate and signals hope. Dalia is Giampaolo’s grandmother’s name. As those close to him know, Giampaolo has spent several harvests with Jean-Louis Chave in St. Joseph in the Rhone Valley, heading straight to Hermitage directly after finishing harvest at Venica in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Looking to the Rhone Valley for inspiration, Giampaolo began to study more closely the wines he admires in Friuli and realized that many aren’t even made from native varieties, but from Chardonnay and Sauvignon that often see oak aging. Dalia Maris aspires to be something completely different, a unique take on what Giampaolo thinks the local grapes can express: power balanced by ripeness with the distinct, salty minerality that speaks to Friuli and creates a crunchiness in texture. While some would say that he is swimming against the tide with this project, Giampaolo feels that his time has come to lead and not follow. His first vintage was 2020.
