2019 Ryme Cellars, Fiano, Russian River Valley.
The golden/yellow Ryme Fiano is a delicious and impressively structured white wine with a beautiful mouth feel along with an array of sunny flavors that include peach, apricot, Sorrento lemon and honeyed pear, as well as round leesy notes, citrus blossom, wet and salty stones. While expressive, this 2019 Fiano stays very crisply detailed and bone dry, it is very faithful to its classic Southern Italian cousins and is another exceptional California version of a top quality example of an Italian grape or Cal Ital, that have really come a long way in recent years. The Fiano comes from the Bowland Vineyard, which Ryme notes, is located just off of Barns Road in the Russian River Valley and benefits from the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean and the regions warm sunny days. I have not had a better California Fiano than this one and it goes beautifully with a range of foods, including soft cheeses, sea food and especially with grilled spicy shrimp and pasta, it gets even better as it opens and keeps its nice acidity throughout. This medium bodied white is drinking fantastically well right now, I’m glad I gave it the extra six months in the cellar and love where it is at and the pleasures of its supple form and gaining maturity.

Ryme’s 2019 Fiano, made by the talented couple of Megan and Ryan Glaab, was whole-cluster pressed to neutral French oak, after which the wine completed both primary and malo-lactic fermentation(s) with only spontaneous native yeasts and bacteria. It also saw, as the Glaab’s note, close 10 months in barrel before being bottling, with the wine resting on its fine lees. I have been blown away with Ryme’s latest collection of releases, this is a label to follow, in particular I am thrilled by their lineup of Cal Itals like their Aglianico(s), the Vermentino(s), both with and without skin contact and the totally unique Sangiovese and Friulano blend, a wine that should be served slightly chilled and enjoyed with friends, as well as the very in vogue Ribolla Gialla white. Fiano, an aromatic varietal, is an ancient white Italian wine grape that is grown primarily in the Campania region of Italy and most famously in the Avellino zone, where there is the prestigious Fiano di Avellino DOCG, though Fiano is also found on Sicily and as far away as Argentina and Australia. The grape’s emergence in California is very welcome and it now has a home here with quality plantings in Dry Creek Valley, Paso Robles and here in the Russian River, to name a few places in thrives. This vintage is sold out at the winery, but I hope the new vintage will be out soon, get on their list!
($36 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive

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