This Valle d’Aosta offering is layered, engaging and impossible to resist. Produced from grapes situated 2900 feet above sea level (arguably the highest elevation in the world for this variety), this is a stellar wine with pinpoint perfumes of apricot, red apple and pear backed by vibrant acidity and white spice notes in the finish. The Lo Triolet Pinot Gris is the finest example of this variety in all of Italy. The Villa Bucci is the most famous and perhaps the most consistent offering of Verdicchio the wine is all about finesse and charm. I love the slightly oily texture of this wine! The Hofstatter Gewürztraminer is deeply concentrated, has brilliant varietal focus and needs time to show its greatness the recently tasted 2012 is in excellent shape more than six years after its production. I love the exotic fruit profile along with the notes of chamomile and thyme. This has been one of Italy’s top whites for some time recent vintages have been nothing short of brilliant. Each wine has notable cellar potential.Ī different style of Fiano is the “Cometa” of Planeta. The Pietracupa is the most refined, the Diamante the most dynamic, the Sarno, the most aristocratic. Three versions of Fiano di Avellino here – all powerful, all superb, and all great representations of Fiano. Villa Diamante Fiano di Avellino “Vigna della Congregazione” (Campania) Villa Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Riserva (Marche) Tenuta Sarno Fiano di Avellino (Campania) Hofstatter Gewürztraminer “Kolbenhof” (Alto Adige) Photo courtesy Cantine Lunae BosoniĬantine Lunae Bosoni Vermentino “Etichetta Nera” (Colli di Luni)Ĭolterenzio Sauvignon “Lafoa” (Alto Adige)Įttore Germano Riesling "Herzu" (Piemonte) (Black Label) is a superb version of Vermentino. Juat harvested Vermentino grapes at the vineyards of Cantine Lunae Bosoni. Here is a memorable wine that is superb after a decade or two, it has richly earned its status as one of Italy’s finest wines – red or white. Unlike too many straightforward, relatively simple examples of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, the Valentini version is powerful and tightly wrapped – it demands time. The Coppi Timorasso is the finest example of this singular white from Piemonte, one with powerful minerality and stunning complexity.įinally, what more can I say about the Valentini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo that hasn’t already been said? This great producer showed us the true potential of this variety his version towers over most of the competition. The Felici Verdicchio, from a relatively new estate, is as pure and as focused a Verdicchio as I have ever tasted cement-fermented and aged, this has exceptional length. I rated the “Calvarino” Soave Classico from Pieropan higher than the “La Rocca” (see below) because of its more classic profile - a blend of 70% Garganega and 30% Trebbiano di Soave, while the Terlano “Vorberg” is as complex and as dazzling a Pinot Bianco as there is in Alto Adige. The Nussbaumer Gewürztraminer is simply hedonistic - the perfumes of this wine, displaying enticing notes of lychee, yellow roses, lanolin and grapefruit are enough to make you fall in love! Sabino Loffredo and Teresa Bruno, respectively, are the driving forces behind these two wines, and while both make extremely limited examples of Greco ("G" for Pietracupa, "Quattro Venti - 4 20" for Petilia), I decided to list their classic offerings. I've rated the Pietracupa Greco di Tufo as the best white of Italy for several years, but I've recently tasted the Greco di Tufo from Petilia that is as pure and as harmonious. Both these wines routinely drink well for 10-15 years after they are released.Ĭampania may be home to the finest whites in Italy, and Greco di Tufo is arguably the best white of Campania, both for its structure - the finest examples display amazing complexity after 7-10 years - and their distinct minerality. The Terre Alte from Felluga, a blend of Friulano, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon, is as distinctive and as stylistic a white as you will find from anywhere, but so too is the Fiorduva from Marisa Cuomo, a powerful Campanian white (a blend of local varieties Ginestra, Fenile and Ripoli) from pergola vineyards dramatically sited above the sea on the Amalfi Coast. Ten truly compelling whites, all with superb varietal purity. Pieropan Soave Classico “Calvarino” (Soave Classico, Veneto)Ĭantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Riserva “Vorberg” (Alto Adige)Ĭantina Tramin Gewürztraminer “Nussbaumer” (Alto Adige) Livio Felluga “Terre Alte” (Rosazzo Bianco, Friuli) Andrea Felici Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Riserva “Il Cantico della Figura” (Marche)
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