PECORINO: ITALY

Offida Pecorino (by Saladini Pilastri)
Italia: Marches (Ascoli Piceno province, near the town of Spinetoli)
Pecorino (white)
2008
$12.99
88+ pts
This is a really interesting Italian white, a varietal I had never had before...and thus one for which I lack a basis of comparison. That being said, I like it a great deal. The producer, the Saladini Pilastri winery located in Marches, Italy (east central Italy) is hundreds of years old, with an intriguing history (the original Count Saladini Pilastri dates back to the turn of the first millennium, for example). The color on this wine is a very pale yellow, almost clear, with a tiny hint of green. The nose has that delightful Old World earthy bouquet, which I love so much (and I even get tobacco on this nose, kind of unusual for me, with a white wine). I really struggled with describing the taste here, largely because while I'm making progress identifying a fruit taste profile, flowers and minerals throw me, usually. This is definitely a floral wine (not expert enough to ID the flowers) but I can say this: it's the first wine with a largely floral taste profile that I really like. No bitterness here, and to me, a tiny suggestion of apple as an undertone (Robert Parker, I think, tastes peach, but I get apple). The finish here is well above average, with a flavor burst on the back end. There's a nice acidity to this wine, as well...pleasing, but not too much. I'm betting you're like me, and have never even heard of the Pecorino grape--but have heard of the cheese--and so when you're in the mood for a completely different white, this is a nice buy. I wouldn't call this a MUST TRY wine, but it is a really interesting experience, at least for my palette--so I think I'll keep some on hand. Thanks to Graig Adler for sharing this one: salute'!