Tried these three over the last few days:
1. Idlewild Cortese FoxHillVnyd/MendoCnty (12.4%) 2015: Deep golden some browning color; some nutty/toasted hazelnuts bit oxidative light Cortese/stony/earthy very slight floral some VM/phenolic/resiny fairly complex quite interesting nose; rather tart/tangy some VM/resiny/phenolic/skin-contact biy honeyed/honey grahamvery light floral/Cortese slight nutty/oxidative rather complex/exotic flavor w/ slight tannic bite; very long slight nutty/oxidative some mature/VM/resiny/phenolic slight Cortese/floral honeyed/honey grahams some complex finish; shows a lot of mature VM character & a bit oxidative/Rhonish characterquite an interesting savory/saline expression of Cortese w/ lots of mature VM character w/ a bit of a tannic bite. $35.00
__________________
2. Idlewild Cortese FoxHillVnyd/MendoCnty (12.9%; www.IdlewildWines.com) 2016: Med.gold color; fairly earthy/stony/bit mineral some floral/Cortese/carnations much more fruity very sllight VM/resiny nose; lightly tart/tangy fairly lush/ripe rather floral/Cortese/carnations slight pineapple some stony/chalky/mineral very slight VM/resiny quite attractive fairly classic Italian Cortese flavor; very long rather floral/carnations/Cortese some mineral/chalky/stony very slight VM/phenolic finish; margedly different from the '15; much more like a classic Piemontese Cortese but not as earthy/stony & much more rich/lush floral/Cortese fruit. $40.00
__________________
3. Idlewild Cortese FoxHillVnyd/MendoCnty (12.5%; www.IdlewildWines.com; partial skin ferment) 2017: Med.gold color; strong floral/Cortese/carnations some stony/earthy/Cortese light VM/resiny/phenolic fairly complex nose; rather tart/tangy rather stony/Cortese/earthy light floral/carnations very light VM/phenolic/resiny/skin-contact rather savory bit austere/tannic some complex flavor w/ light tannins; very long/lingering fairly stony/earthy/mineral light floral/Cortese/carnations very slight VM/phenolic/resiny some complex rather savory finish; shows a lot of Piemontese character but more rich/lush & not as austere as those Italians tend to be; can benefir from a few yrs yet; as good as any Cortese from the Piemonte. $40.00
________________________________________
More vivvertrac from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Of all the Piemontese white grapes, I would say Cortese is probably my least favorite because it can (not always) be dominated by a stony/earthy character to the detriment of any fruit. I far prefer Timorasso/Nascetta/Arneis/Favorita because of its more powerful aromatic fruit.
Sam Bilbro does his Cortese somewhat differently. His FoxHill Cortese come frome E/W planted rows. He harvests the
S-facing Cortese separately and makes it as a skin-contact to capture the phenolics of those darker/riper
Cortese grapes. The N-facing are given conventional white-wine treatment. This '15 Cortese has more of a phenolic loading than previous vintages and the '16/'17. A great guy & a great winemaker. Followed him from the very start, I did, I did.
Tom