Bastianich Vespa Bianco 2016
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Robert -
Suckling
James -
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Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with white meats, such as roast chicken or turkey, and also veal, pork and meaty fish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This blend of mostly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, with a touch of Picolit, was bottled in July 2017. Once again, Bastianich offers us some wonderful candied fruit notes along with some tart lemon soda in the 2016 Vespa Bianco. The wine shines with bright intensity and possesses remarkable balance. There is a nice creaminess to the texture, and it has inner firmness and tightness that bodes well for the way the wine will evolve over the next few years. This is a beautiful blend.
Rating: 94+ -
James Suckling
This has an attractive, slightly spiced character with ripe red and dark berries, hints of walnuts, dried herbs and ground cloves. Medium- to full-bodied, firm and chalky. Has tight-grained tannins, yet with juicy acidity and vivid fruit. A little earthy at the end. A blend of Merlot and refosco.
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Wine Spectator
A round and creamy, medium-bodied white backed by a fresh spine of acidity, this is balanced and well-meshed, offering a subtle array of yellow pear, slivered almond and elderflower flavors and a minerally tang of saline that lingers on the finish.
Other Vintages
2018-
Spectator
Wine
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Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James
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Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
The source of some of Italy’s best and most distinctive white wines, Friuli-Venezia Giulia is where Italian, Germanic and Slavic cultures converge. The styles of wines produced in this region of Italy's far north-east reflect this merging of cultures. Often shortened to just “Friuli,” the area is divided into many distinct subzones, including Friuli Grave, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Collio Goriziano and Carso. The flat valley of Friuli Grave is responsible for a large proportion of the region’s wine production, particularly the approachable Pinot grigio and the popular Prosecco. The best vineyard locations are often on hillsides, as in Colli Orientali del Friuli or Collio. In general, Friuli boasts an ideal climate for viticulture, with warm sunny days and chilly nights, which allow grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
In Colli Orientali, the specialty is crisp, flavorful white wine made from indigenous varieities like Friulano (formerly known as Tocai Friulano), Ribolla gialla and Malvasia Istriana.
Red wines, though far less common here, can be quite good, especially when made from the deeply colored, rustic Refosco variety. In Collio Goriziano, which abutts Slovenia, many of the same varieties are planted. International varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc are also common, but they tend to be Loire-like in style with herbaceous character and mellow tannins. Carso’s star grape is the red Teranno, notable for being rich in iron content and historically consumed for health purposes. It has an earthy, meaty profile and is often confused with the distinct variety Refosco.