This month, Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by Love Sicily, so it's understandable that the theme should be Sicilian wines. Apparently, I clearly failed to read the instructions thoroughly, and thus missed the fact that they specified red Sicilian wines.
Of course, when Lenn issued a virtual "dare" about finding something other than Nero d'Avola, I got a little to ahead of myself and ended up bringing home a white wine. Now, I almost brought home a bottle of this same winemaker's Syrah, but... well, I didn't.
So, Ronald & Katia, I hope you'll forgive my embarrassing oversight, and include me in the round-up anyway!
Wine: Feudo Arancio Grillo
Vintage: 2003
Varietal: 100% Grillo
Appellation: Sicily
Price: $5.99
The Nose:
Apple pectin. A touch of almond oil. Not a "complex" nose on this wine, but extraordinarily pleasant.
The Eyes:
Pale straw yellow. Slightly "glossy" in the glass.
The Palate:
Very full-bodied, glycerin-y mouthfeel (but not in that tongue-coating way) with some very nice acidity to back it up. Again, not terribly complex, this is a wine that really opens up with food. Rather long finish with some nice citrus and a bit of that same sweet almond.
Overall Impression:
This wine drinks like a much more expensive bottle - you'd never guess it's $6 retail. It's hangs out somewhere between a restrained Alsatian Riesling and a full, weighty Pinot Grigio. I paired this with a Mango, Avocado & Beef Salad (have I mentioned how thrilled I am that Spring is back???) and it absolutely blossomed.
After seeing what this vintner can do with this very fickle grape, I'm really interested in trying his Syrah (which, truth be told, is probably my least favorite grape, but I've heard some really great stuff about it).
