Monday, January 2, 2023

Vermentino Is My Favorite - Today

San Felice is an Italian winemaking company which is located in the Chianti Classico area of Tuscany. Their history includes the fact that they were on the leading edge of the development of the Super Tuscan style, decades ago.

We are sampling today, however, a Vermentino. This is probably my favorite grape from Italy - my favorite white grape, anyway. That's the beauty of wine's variety - there are so many grapes, so many styles, so many pairings, that it is almost impossible for an adventurous taster to be limited to just one favorite.

The 2021 San Felice Toscana is made from mostly Tuscan Vermentino grapes, grown on the Perolla estate in Maremma, with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc thrown in for some extra aromatics. Personally, I prefer Vermentino from Sicily or Sardinia - despite what science tells us, I know I can smell and taste the ocean in those.

This Vermentino has alcohol at 13% abv and sells online for less than $18. I got my bottle at a sale during the holidays at Eataly for considerably less, so it was a steal.

The wine's nose comes across a bit muted, with a little grapefruit, a little lemon and a whole lot of that mineral aroma that comes up off the sidewalk after a rain. There is a beautiful salinity available as it begins to open up in the glass. The palate shows a bit of the Sauvignon Blanc with a pink grapefruit note, while the savory minerals carry it along. Acidity is fresh and inviting, offering plenty of pairing possibilities from pork to poisson. 


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