Italian White Wines

Tasted Erbaluce for the first time this weekend. A Cieck bottling.

What other Erbaluces should I be checking out?

Other Italian whites?

I love Verdicchicio and San Gimigiano. Both are great with fish, not complicated but crisp.

I’m a fan of Arneis

Well, Josh… you might want to check out Timarasso. I think it makes the greatest of Piemonte whites. Aromatic like Arneis but the richness/texture of Chard on the palate. The LaColombera is a good one to start with.
Tom

Pieropan Soave - Calvarino if you are a traditionalist, La Rocca if you like a somewhat more modern take (but not that modern to my taste, love them both).

There was a “Top 5” thread on this recently with good info:

This is still available in the market, but more importantly, it’s drinking really, really well:

2016 Ferrando Erbaluce di Caluso Cariola

Thanks. I did a search for Erbaluce and that thread didn’t show up since it wasn’t mentioned. Will read thru those notes. Thanks.

What type of aromatics are to be expected? Richness of California Chardonnay? I tend to prefer more mineral in my white wines.

Well… it has the strong floral aromatics of Arneis. The texture & richness of Chard which you don’t get in Erbaluce/Arneis/Cortese usually. And often a nice minerality. Timo has it all. We’re not talking Rombauer. The oak is sometimes there, but well in the background, usually.
Tom

Check out the whites of Montenidoli - some interesting and delicious takes on Vernaccia: https://www.montenidoli.com/wines/white-wines/

I like the Fiano d’Avellino myself. Colli di Lapio, but also Ciro di Picariello… House white at A16 in Oakland…

There is a lot of interesting Carricante made on Etna. They are best with a few years of bottle age though. Pietra Marina from Benanti or Graci’s Arcuria Bianco has been excellent for me.

Have tasted a good bunch of Timorasso, but can’t remember tasting a single one with obvious oak aromatics. I’ve understood that if any oak is used, the vessels are going to be old and aromatically quite neutral. However, most Timorassos I’ve tasted have seen only stainless steel.

Of course I haven’t tasted all of them. Care to mention any Timorassos where one could actually taste the oak?

Pecorino and orvieto. Aged, quality orvieto can be fantastic and easily on a par with great white burgundy in terms of complexity - much crisper and less rich though.

Agree with Arneis, Soave, Fiano, Carricante and Timorasso. And would add Sylvaner, Gruner, Kerner, Friulano and Pinot Bianco from the NE, and Muscat from Valle d’Aosta.

I can see how it reads as oak sometimes - there’s a richness and complexity along with a distinctive layered spice/ginger characteristic that, if you were tasting blind, could take you to oak but it’s just part of the distinctive characteristics of the varietal. That said, I’m curious too - maybe there are more oaked versions coming out… everybody seems to want to do one these days .

I may not be alone in having confused reduction and oak notes at times.

This would be my answer as well. I consider NE Italian whites to be world-class.

I recently had a vermentino from Monteverro that was really fantastic.