WTN: Very northern Italy

[Jenise]

I took terrible notes at this tasting (there were three wines I didn't even catch the names of), but here you go, in reverse order of consumption:

The reds:

2013 Aquila del Torre Friuli Colli Orientali Picolit
Hand-carried back from Italy, and outstanding! Ripasso-like concentration with reasonable acidity.

2020 Damilano Barolo Lecinquevigne Nebbiolo
Surprisingly approachable and evolved for a 2020--everyone liked it, perhaps even more so after the following two wines. I'm not familiar with the producer but surmised from the conversation that this exceeded low expectations. B

2021 Schiopetto Merlot Venezia Giulia IGT
Sweet and dry at the same time, a bit sappy but not so far as the bringer knows a ripasso style. Didn't work for me. D

2022 Ronchi di Giancarlo Rocca Langhe Amphoris Langhe DOC Nebbiolo Blend, Nebbiolo
Oddly sweet with 15% alcohol, a flaw that required it be declassified from Barbaresco. Too much for me! D.

2016 Alessandro Rivetto Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba Nebbiolo
Opened one of these by myself a week or so before sharing this in a group tasting. I was a tad concerned that what tasted so good to me on some random night alone would not show as well in a group situation, but I need not have worried. It was a little fleshier and earthier than the wines that preceded it, but in a good way. B

2017 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Verduno
Classic roses and tar with dark cherry, strawberry, licorice and geranium. Very expressive. B++

2023 Kellerei Cantina Andrian Pinot Noir Alto Adige - Südtirol B
Pleasantly light and lively with delicate berries and dried fruit.

2014 Petterino Gattinara Nebbiolo
Every word of Salil's 2024 TN still applies, I have nothing to add: "This is delightful; a relatively lightweight, watercolor expression of Nebbiolo. There's plenty of bright red and dark fruit here, but the fruit feels gentle and understated and allows for higher toned herbal and dried floral notes to dominate the aromatics. There's a savory, intensely earthy - almost gravelly - sensation on the palate beneath the fruit." A

2022 Le Piane Maggiorina Vino da Tavola Nebbiolo Blend
Erik's. This is an old Italian field blend of nebbiolo and other local grapes. Berries, earth and snappy acidity for freshness. Drinks very well for a youngster. B

The whites:

2022 Giacosa Fratelli Roero Arneis
My wine. Rich, elegantly textured, chardonny-like flavors but with more light and layers. Excellent. A

2023 Cantina Terlan Terlano Terlaner Cuvée White Blend - Alto Adige
Also my wine. A heavenly blend of chardonnay, sauv blanc and pinot grigio--shouldn't work, but it does! I was so enamored I failed to write down a thing at the time, but the complexity was outstanding and led into a long, detailed finish. White WOTN for me. A+

2019 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Langhe Sauvignon Blanc Viridis Langhe DOC
Not my wine but I love these and recognized it. Oodles of white grapefruit, some herb not unlike fresh sage, chalky minerality. Excellent. A

2024 Cantina Terlan Pinot Grigio Tradition Alto Adige
Apple, perfume, minerally. Nice. B

2022 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio Collio
Light yet intense with peach and pear notes. Good! B

2018 Le Battistelle Soave Classico Battistelle Garganega
Heavy and spicy, closer to gewurz than garganega as I know it. Not a fan. D

I love that Petterino - I'm glad you had a similar experience.

Fun lineup/theme. That Burlotto also sounds terrific (love those wines, just a shame the pricing has gone into batshit insane territory lately)

I’m a big fan of the Terlan wines and agree that the blend shouldn’t work but it does!

[Jenise]

And John, why is that? We all get why blending 3-5 red wines in Bordeaux produces a serious, often extraordinary wine, but IME it's almost never true with whites. The blends are usually just dull mutts. But wow, not this Terlano.

And John, why is that? We all get why blending 3-5 red wines in Bordeaux produces a serious, often extraordinary wine, but IME it's almost never true with whites. The blends are usually just dull mutts. But wow, not this Terlano.

White Bdx and Sauternes/Barsac would be an exception to that dictum. Alsatian Edelzwicker and the whites of the S Rhone are other, less renowned, examples.

It is interesting that most white wines are single grape varieties (although of course white Bordeaux and Sauternes are obvious outliers).

But you are right, white blends seem to be much less encountered in all regions besides Bordeaux. In Alsace you have the Edelzwicker blends but they are a tiny proportion of all wines produced. Southern Rhone whites are usually blends, but the blended reds steal the show. And the white wine blends that do exist in many regions (like the Edelzwicker) are usually seen as 'lesser' or 'introductory' wines. Of course, white wines are often - not always - seen as 'lesser' than red wines; that's why most people have a majority of reds in their cellars.

Ah, I see Mark beat me to the punch on these regions where white blends are common.