This is a Vermentinu(o) from Corsica. This is our first Corsican wine and I picked up the bottle at the suggestion of a Corsican Vermentino for a pairing with basil pesto on another thread. We had it with a cheese plate, with a small bowl of pesto on the side for bread dipping. My wife and I are usually on a similar wavelength wrt wine impressions, but we were apart on this one. Jacqueline found it light, easy to drink with not much going on. I found a lot going on, though with none of it speaking loudly. Mineral, herbs, very subtle fruit, slightly bitter herbal finish. Balanced. Evocative of how I imagine Corsica, which may not be true in reality.
When I was drinking this wine I was reminded of the word “finesse” which I used to describe two nice wines that we opened on my last birthday several months back. We are not used to drinking wines with finesse, with most of our wines speaking if not loudly at least clearly as to what they are about. This wine asks to be tuned into. I may have used the word “finesse” in more than a few comments to my wife. As I poured myself the last glass she accused me of guzzling the wine. “But, with finesse” I replied.
P.S. This wine was also a wonderful pairing with the basil pesto.
Jim, a lot of the Corsican whites can be quaffed, but really deserve the deeper look that you gave them. They are more about complexity, minerality, and the combination of flavors than they are about overt fruit. I find they really go well with a wide variety of food, too.