Bastianich Vespa Bianco 2012
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Product Details
Winemaker Notes
Great with roasted turkey, duck and pork; shellfish, especially lobster and scallops; mushroom based dishes, like mushroom risotto; elegant cheese-dressed pastas.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lime peel with pine leaves and minerals on the nose. Peppermint, green paprika and apple peel, too. Well-balanced and crispy with a fresh, present finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Vespa Bianco is one of the great white wines of northeast Italy. It is distinguished by the rich creaminess of its texture and beautifully abundant aromatic intensity. The wine opens to compelling tones of peach, stone fruit, white rose, creamy almond paste and apple pie. The wine is made with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and a small part Picolit, which adds much of the intensity and the overall fruity softness. Balanced acidity and rich consistency gives the wine an enduring sense of balance.
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Wine Spectator
An elegant, medium-bodied white, with a saline underpinning layered with flavors of creamed almond, baked pear, lemon preserves and beeswax. Lightly floral on the well-cut finish. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Picolit. Drink now through 2022.
Other Vintages
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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.