2018 Arbe Garbe White Russian River
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Tasting notes
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!
Critic scores
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Jeb Dunnuck
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
I was able to taste a single wine from Arbe Garbe. Their 2018 Arbe Garbe is an interesting blend of 55% Malvasia Bianca, 25% Ribola Gialla, and the rest old vine Tocai Friulano, all aged ten months in puncheons. It has a light gold color as well as a big, perfumed bouquet of exotic citrus, nectarine, mint, and pineapple aromas. These carry to a medium to full-bodied white that has a rich, mouthfilling texture, beautiful acidity and freshness, and a clean, dry finish. This terrific, complex, character-filled white is going to shine on the dinner table. I would enjoy bottles over the coming year or two.