Via Guisti Winery — 2015 — Vermentino — Carneros/Sonoma County

Not really one who chases Vermentino, but I found this one on a local wine list, at a local restaurant while out to dinner. I didn’t know what to expect but I was irrevocably riveted by all sensory approaches, the paradiddles that sang to the palate… vanilla and orange, lemon and banana, pineapple. This was not a wine that was trying to be safe, or mainstream. It wanted to be honest with its narrative, tell a new turn in Vermentino’s volume and place, character and voice. I kept sipping till dinner, nearly ordered another glass but had to refrain. Been haunted ever since. Wish I would have had just one more glass. What I remember most was the texture of the wine and how it so luminously complimented the flavor complexion. Maybe now I will hunt this varietal, but I’m fearful. How could any other interpretation have this magnetic degree? I don’t want to obsess over that, just want to remember what I tasted, how it taught me something about Vermentino and myself as a wine pursuer. Easily one of the most pedagogical and enveloping white wines I’ve ever encountered. And I have to laugh, as it just found its way to my life, my story, my writing. You can never know what to expect in this wine stage, and Via Giusti’s enigmatically ethereal bottle reminded me of just that. I left the restaurant more than enamored. I was in longing, curious, writing in my head what I’d do if I had a bottle when back home.