Couldn’t wait, so tried this within hrs of it hitting my front porch:
- Idlewild Timorasso North Coast WW (11.5%) 2020: Light gold color; quite fragrant floral/gardenias/Timo/spicy/bit cardamon light chalky/mineral bit quiet lovely nose; lightly tart/tangy fairly strong floral/Timo/gardenias/pear bit spicy/cardamon light mineral/perfumed talc fairly rich/lush bit complex fairly classic Timo/pear flavor; very long/lingering somewhat rich/lush finish that follows flavor; a lovely spicy/floral/pear that speaks strongly of Timo w/ that rich/lush character you expect even at 11.5% alcohol; resembles the basic Colombera Timo but not show the minerality that one has; quite a lovely/pretty expression of Timo and a splendid first effort. $42.00
More timmaglick from TheBloodyPulpit:
- This is the first Timo produced in Calif. The plant material was sourced to FPS by Brian Harrington several yrs ago. Not sure what producer he sourced the plant material from.
I take full credit for this Timo. A number of yrs ago, I met Sam at BergamotAlley tasting bar in Healdsburg. I noticed they had a btl of Walter Massa (the guy who saved Timo from extinction) Timo on the shelf. Sam had not had a Timo before. I happened to have two other btls of Timo in my rental car (doesn’t everyone travel w/ a few btls of Timo in their car??) & asked Sam if he’d like to do a small tasting of Timo afore we tasted his new releases. He was quite impressed by the variety. So he was first in line when FPS finally released the Timo from quarantine.
This Idlewild shipment arrived yesterday afternoon on my front porch, so I could not wait to try Sam’s first effort at Timo. Fresh off the boat. So it may have been suffering from the journey from Healdsburg.
The wine was not as intense as some of the top end Timos from the Colli Tortonesi, in the nose or on the palate. Such as the Mandirola. But it was a dead ringer for a basic Derthona Timo like the Colombera. It showed the richness & texture and a slight bit of the minerality you get in Derthona Timo. Sam nailed the variety right out of the gate. It’s the kind of wine I expect will put on weight & intensity has it ages longer in the btl. Good job, Sam, and I look forward to subsequent releases as the vines put on age.
Tom
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Very interesting coming in at 11.5% for a grape that easily soars above 14%. From your note it doesn’t sound austere at all, which is nice. I really like the grape but it can get a little heavy for my preference even though it usually maintains plenty of acidity to keep it from becoming ponderous.
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Very cool, @TomHill! If my wine-searcher searching is correct, this may be the first Timo in North America.
I was expecting to be a bit on the lean/austere side, Ted. It was fairly rich/lush and quite well-balanced.
Tom
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It can certainly be substantial at 12.5 - 13.5% (and indeed above that I recall at least one bottle that tasted a little ‘fat’). So 11.5% alc interesting and noteworthy, but I’m not overtly surprised it still had decent body at such a low alc%
After the mishap getting cuttings from the best block of Nerello Mascalese which turned out to be some unidentified (superior, imo) native grape, he switched to mostly sourcing from plant banks.
@TomHill Nice note and pretty much agree with all you say. Fully agree that this will likely put on some weight with a bit more age. These are very young vines and it will be exciting to taste future vintages as the vines age. With Timorasso (and Brachetto) Sam has built an unbelievable portfolio of Piedmont wines!
I also love Timorasso when it’s not taken over the top which can easily happen with Timorasso. When done right it is a world class wine. Here is my favorite from a Idlewild Sunday School. I mention in the note that it is slightly pulled back compared to some of the more intense versions.
2020 Ezio Poggio Colli Tortonesi Terre di Libarna Timorasso: Ezio Poggio is unflinchingly devoted to the revival of one of Italy’s great white grapes, Timorasso. Ezio first planted the grape in 2004, reestablishing a long-lost growing zone now known as Terre di Libarna along the mountains that separate Piedmont from Liguria. Stonefruit, peach, apricot, apple blossom floral notes, rocks and stones. Good acidity and texture-mouthfeel. This wine is a touch lighter in mouthfeel than some other Timorasso I have had but that actually made this wine even more desirable. Great wine, can match up well against any high quality white wine! Bought a bunch, drink and enjoy!
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