2016 Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva Italy (Other)

2016 Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva

95 JS

Featured Review

Love the dried-flower and pie-crust aromas to the sliced-apple character. Full body. Very fruity and vivid. Flavorful finish. Excellent. This will change your mind about pinot bianco. Drink now. James Suckling

James Suckling | 95 JS

I admit that after I tasted this wine for work, I brought the remnants of the bottle up to my Roman terrace (on one of the first warm days of early spring) and polished off the rest of the bottle with friends. The 2016 Alto Adige Terlano Pinot Bianco Riserva Vorberg is just that kind of wine: It invites you to share its bounty and beauty with the people you most respect and admire. I just love this wine, and this is one of the best vintages I have tasted. Very few Italian dry white wines have scored this high, but this is a sure celebrity. This Riserva offers excellent Pinot Bianco concentration with generous layers of stone fruit, pear and poached apple. The finish is long and smooth. Even if you leave the bottle open for a long time, it evolves, but never oxidizes. The wine undergoes both fermentations in oak and then ages on the lees in oak barrel for 12 months. Some 55,000 bottles were created. Compared to the other top-shelf wines from Cantina Terlano, this is the best value of all.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

Luminous golden-tinged straw-yellow. Very clean candied citrus peel, baked apple, fresh pear, beeswax and mineral aromas complicated by white flowers on the complex nose. Then very pure and fresh, with the Pinot Bianco–typical mellow mouthfeel lifted here by juicy, vibrant acidity. Finishes long and clean. The Vorberg is best when the grapes aren’t superripe and Pinot Bianco’s and Terlano’s characteristics are able to shine through, as they do in this vintage.

Vinous Media | 94 VM

Type of Wine	Italy (Other) : There are dozens of grape varietals grown in Italy so no wonder they produce such a broad range of most exquisite wines. Some of the most cultivated red varieties are Nebbiolo, Aglianico, Sangiovese, and Barbera, while Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are also popular. Among whites, you're likely to find Pinot Grigio, Trebbiano, or Vernaccia varietals.
Varietal	Pinot Bianco : Hailing from a prominent wine region, possessing the flexibility to be fashioned in many different styles and being related to the noble Pinot Noir grape: Pinot Blanc. This incredibly diverse grape with good pedigree is capable of producing delicate, delicious, mouthwatering white wines. Despite its capable nature and its production of charming dry, sweet and sparkling renditions, the world is mostly ignorant of its high class talents. Pinot Blanc may be overshadowed by other varieties, but it should not be overlooked. Pinot Blanc shares the same DNA as Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, being a white color mutation of the former. The grape possesses a smaller concentration of anthocyanin (pigmentation of red/purple grapes). Unlike the fussy Pinot Noir grape, Pinot Blanc is much easier to grow and can withstand colder temperatures (though it prefers warmth). It buds earlier and ripens early to mid-harvest. In the vineyard, Pinot Blanc is relatively fruitful giving reliable yields, though they must be kept in check to ensure flavor retention. The grapes form in tight clusters which can become vulnerable to fungal diseases, such as bunch rot and powdering mildew. However, in a few areas where the conditions are amenable, Botrytis Cinerea or noble rot can occur, in which the beneficial fungus dehydrates the grape, concentrating sugars and flavors. Much like Pinot Gris (a close relative), Pinot Blanc has been nearly ostracized from Burgundy, where it likely to have originated. As luck would have it, Pinot Blanc has found a “warm” welcoming in many prosperous winegrowing locations outside of Burgundy. Its versatility allows the grape variety to be used in the production of still, sparkling and sweet dessert wines. It may not be the most glamorous member of the Pinot family but has proven its worth in various winegrowing regions, most notably Alsace in northeast France, the Alto Adige region of Italy, and in nearly all of Germany. Alsace is considered Pinot Blanc’s spiritual home and where it is somewhat overshadowed by the region’s undoubted stars, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The winegrowing areas rest at the foothills of the Vosges Mountain range which shelters the vineyards from oceanic influences, with one of the lowest rainfalls in France. It enjoys a semi-continental climate which is sunny, warm and dry. The terroir is quite hospitable to the variety and comprised of limestone, sandstone, granite, schist and clay. Many fine dry examples hail from Alsace and are typified by almond aromas with a hint of spice. On the palate they show a range of apple flavors, citrus and sometimes buttery and usually at the floury and creamy end of the spectrum. They also display light mineral characteristics but these are generally muted by the oak treatment favored in the region. It often draws comparison to its cousin, Chardonnay, both oaked and unoaked versions, but usually not as complex. In the AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) of Cremant d’Alsace, Pinot Blanc takes center stage and its attributes are displayed in the making of sparkling wines made in the traditional-method (sparkling wines made outside of Champagne). This is another example of its utilitarian nature. Alto Adige, Italy has become a popular cultivation site for the well-traveled Pinot Blanc grape. Here the climate consists of mild sunny days, cool nights and strong winds that dry the soil. The Alps shape the landscape in such a varied way that the microclimate changes within just a few kilometers. There is an abundance of sunny slopes where the vines flourish and granted excellent water drainage. There is a mix of glacial remnants, ancient sea beds, clay soils bordering chalk deposits with well over 150 different rock deposits that help shape the soil composition. Primitive terroir composed of rock soils with quartz, slate and mica, calcareous and dolomite rock give the resulting wines a glacial and alluvial polish. The wines are characterized as having a fruity freshness with elegant scents of apples, pears, lemons and tones of hay flowers and hazelnut. It has a lively acidity and a fruity finesse which makes it a food-friendly companion. It is truly among the white wine stars of the Alto Adige. In Germany, Pinot Blanc is grown and vinified with great affection and celebrated by German winemakers. It is fashioned in light or full-bodied, still or sparkling, easy-drinking or complex styles, as well as the luxurious Trockenbeerenauslese (select dry berry harvest). These wines are made from selected overripe shriveled grapes often affected by noble rot making them extremely rich sweet wines with extraordinary, textured mouthfeel. Pinot Blanc is grown in almost all 13 wine regions of Germany but most commonly found in Baden, Rheinhessen and Pfalz, reflecting the grape’s preference for warm and dry climates. It thrives in deep soil in sites with good sun exposure. German stylings generally have aromas and flavors of citrus fruit, pears, melons and green nuts. The variety can be found in the United States, Canada, Argentina and Uruguay, where it is commercially produced. Alcohol levels in these wines tend to be medium to high with good acidity giving the wine a slightly sour, tart edge. Its high natural acidity makes it a popular choice in the production of sparkling wine in California. Although Pinot Blanc is widely grown around the world, it never gets sufficient attention or focus to complete with the major stars of the white wine world. Time, is perhaps, the only thing holding the Pinot Blanc grape from breaking the boundaries of fame, but for now, consumers can enjoy a luxury wine at a value price tag.
Country	Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France. Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate. The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned. The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market. With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.