TN: Aeris Carricante '16...(short/boring)

Tried this new arrival last night:

  1. Aeris Carricante EtnaBianco Superiore (12.2%; Imprtd by RhysVnyds/LosGatos) I Vigneri/Ragusa/Sicily 2016: Light yellow color; very strong chalky/mineral/perfumed talc some floral/gardenias/apple blossom/fragrant bit complex nose; fairly acid/tart/metallic/steely strong mineral/chalky/perfumed talc terroir-driven light floral/gardenias flavor; very long/lingering strong mineral/stony/chalky/perfumed talc some floral/gardenias structured complex finish; very tart/acid but not at all lean & eviscerated; a very volcanic/terroir-driven minerally white; should be a great wine with 3-8 yrs of age. $59.00

A wee BloodyPulpit:

  1. This is, of course, KevinHarvey’s/Rhys foray into Italian grapes. He’s a big believer in Carricante & I believe he has some planted in Calif. Like the original '14, I really wanted to dislike this wine because of the $$. But I could not. Though not particularly pleasurable on its own, it really needs food. And I think its best is yet to come. Reminds me a bit of GrandCru Chablis in character and style, though different tastes & aromas. Maybe one of the best Carricantes I’ve tried.
    Tom

Thanks for the early look.

Nice note Tom - I’ve tasted this wine and strongly relate to your assessment.

https://www.aeriswines.com/california/
Centennial Mountain has the Carricante, Nebbiolo, Riesling, and I heard rumors of zin…

Tom,
Thanks for sharing your impression. This wine is still quite young but I feel it promises everything that Carricante is capable of. Grand Cru Chablis is a good descriptor at the moment. With some age, it should show a bit more like a hypothetical blend of dry Alsatian Riesling and Corton Charlemagne as the structure relaxes and the richness increases.
I was in Sicily in November and Carricante recognition is really escalating. There are many new plantings (though just a few Etna Bianco Superiores) and prices are rising rapidly. Benanti Pietramarina is now $70-100 in the US and the next release will start at over $100/bottle. On the other side of the coin, I am even more concerned that mislabeled Etna Biancos (some not real Carricante or not a meaningful %) will hold back the grape’s reputation.

Kevin,

Will the new tariffs deter you from continuing with your Italian venture?

David,
That’s a great question. Frankly, I don’t yet know exactly how these tariffs will affect us. Wine is such a long term business (we started this project 8 years ago) and I hope the tariff situation is short term. Hopefully, we can outlast it!

Years ago I remember an Australian producer or importer brought in wine in a huge bladder, then bottled it here. No idea if that would be practical, or change the tariff outlook.

Thanks all for TN and discussion …I have two bottles I keep being so tempted to open. I’ll try to resist!

Going on more than ever. There’s an actual exchange for it.

Sipping this wine as I type. Expresses savory, salty, floral and sweet simultaneously. So much life to this wine. Not sure I recall a balanced white wine with this much going on. Fascinating and delicious.

I had the pleasure of tasting this with Salvo Foti at I Vigneri in Sicily over the summer. My notes say this was the first vintage for the vineyard planted by Foti/Aeris, as IIRC the prior vintages were made from purchased fruit (I expect Kevin H will jump in to correct any errors). I certainly enjoyed it, as I have all of the Aeris Bianco bottlings. We also had the pleasure of tasting a sample of the 18 vintage wine from the vines planted in Sonoma, which made for an interesting comparison. Fascinating wines!

As I posted in another thread, this was not my experience with '14, which I found, to quote Tom, a little “short/boring” for something at its price point. Maybe more time or the winemaking is coming together, one way or another glad to learn that the '16 is drinking so well.