2018 Arbe Garbe White Blend Russian River Valley

Made by Enrico Bertoz (Sine Qua Non, Joseph Phelps, Flora Springs) all organic, wild fermentation and the only Malvasia grown in Sonoma County.

WSI94 WA94 The 2018 White Wine from Arbe Garbe is an unusual—and fabulous—blend of 55% Malvasia Bianca, 25% Tocai Friulano and 20% Ribolla Gialla, what winemaker Enrico Maria Bertoz calls “the Holy Trinity of Friuli,” where he was raised. The Malvasia is split into portions, with one portion whole-cluster pressed, a second portion on skins for 12 hours and a third portion on skins for 24 hours. These lots are then blind tasted to create the final blend. The nose explodes to musk, lychee, warm peaches, charcuterie and beeswax with high-toned notes of fresh green herbs. The medium to full-bodied palate has a gorgeous silken texture, ever-so-slightly creamy, with kaleidoscopic bursts of ripe fruit in the mouth. It’s concentrated while still incredibly light on its feet, addicting in its freshness and long, textured finish. What a gorgeous vintage for this wine!

Estate Notes: The 2018 is a blend of 55% Malvasia Bianca coming from 102 year old vines at Catie’s Corner Vineyard in Russian River Valley, 25% Ribolla Gialla coming from Tanya’s Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, and 20% old vine Tocai Friulano coming from the Pagani Ranch in Sonoma.  The Malvasia had 24 hours of skin contact and both the Tocai and Ribolla had 12 hours, a frequent technique in Friuli that extracts floral aromatics in the grape and elevates texture from such fragrant varieties as these.  Insanely expressive with floral notes of orange blossom, lavender, honeysuckle, and white peach.  The palate is astonishingly fresh with the abundance of aromatics.  Crisp, zippy notes of nectarine, lemon zest, and apricot make for an incredibly refreshing wine with profound complexity.   

Enrico Bertoz and his wife Letizia Pauletto each grew up in Friuli, in the northeast corner of Italy. They worked their way through university in the vineyards of the area and after gradu- ation followed their dreams to California settling first in Southern California where Enrico worked in the cellar at Valentino and with Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non and then North- ern California where Enrico went to UC Davis and then to winemaking at Girard and now, Flora Springs. Arbe Garbe was born in 2007 with a Ribolla Gailla bottling from the Vare Vnyd. in Napa and a white blend.