2018 Terlaner 1 Grande Cuvee

A compelling mix of dusty dried flowers, crushed stone, lemon oils and freshly sliced pear wafts up from the 2018 Terlaner Grande Cuvée Primo. Its textures are like pure silk, elegant and medium in weight, guided by saline-infused acids that give way to ripe orchard fruits and the slightest hint of vanilla bean. This lingers incredibly long, while tapering off perfectly balanced and perfumed with nuanced tannins and hints of tropical citrus. The Cuvée Primo is a blend of 70% Pinot Bianco, 28% Chardonnay and 2% Sauvignon Blanc. There’s a balanced opulence here that’s not always present at this young age, which makes the 2018 impossible to ignore.

This is the top-shelf wine from Cantina Terlano, to say the least. It's a careful blend of 65% Pinot Bianco, 32% Chardonnay and 3% Sauvignon Blanc. The 2018 Alto Adige Terlaner Grand Cuvée Primo shows ripeness, but the fruit is plush, rich and beautiful. It's an intricate portrait of these three grapes, with brushes of grapefruit and Indian jasmine, or Turkish soap you might buy at an Istanbul bazaar. There is a very citrusy side to the wine with that grapefruit note and the perfumed skin of the citron fruit they call "cedro" in Italian. All in all, this wine is super rich with generous fruit weight and concentration. Cantina Terlano does its best work in terms of texture, mouthfeel and richness, and this release of 3,330 bottles is their masterpiece.