The Vare 'Bianco' is truly a labor of love. The grapes grow on the few acres of land surrounding their Napa Valley home. George and Elsa are Napa's equivalent to the boundary-pushing "garagistes" of France, constantly experimenting (the wine is only available in 500ml bottles), insatiably curious and never satisfied.
At Crush we are thrilled with their 2004 "Bianco" and begged our contact for a small allocation. We for one (Thomas Keller for two) are downright psyched! The Bianco is a radical blend of grapes - but don't be scared. In this wine Ribolla Gialla (grown in CA on vines from Gravner cuttings!), Pinot Grigio, Tocai Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay all come together to produce a white wine of enormous complexity that belies its price.
This wine is a rock-and-roll symphony that marries the clean mountain minerality and aromatics of Friuli with the dense power and expressiveness of Napa. The nose of this wine explodes from the glass, flexing an exotic musk, cider and spice all wrapped around a dense core of fresh minerality. An impressive fullness of body made some staff think the juice spent some time in oak, but to the contrary - it was vinified 100% in stainless steel. Instead, it's extended lees aging that brings an impressive richness and rounds out the whole package.
Awesome on its own or with the appropriate food, it sizzles on the palate (even when chilled!), delivering tart stone fruits, rich earthy spices and a gripping acidity. This wine is like Pinot Grigio's freaky cousin; the one with the tattoos, a nose-ring and a degree in rocket science from MIT.
The Search for the Holy Grigio
It all began in 1997 during a "reconnaissance mission" to the north of Italy. George Vare, his wife Elsa and their friend, "Cult" Cali chardonnay wizard John Kongsgaard, set out on a search for the Holy Grigio - Pinot Grigio that is. They found it in the most unexpected of places: Friuli, in Italy's northeast corner.
Friuli is a region with many influences, many famous winemakers, and most importantly, many killer white wines. It's here they found their Holy (Pinot) Grigio, but they also found some other things. They found the expressive and floral but firm Ribolla Gialla grape. They learned about using combinations of grapes to make complex "field blends." Most importantly however, they fell in love with a vision and made some very cool friends who have already helped them with their project. Even the infamously shy Gravner has paid them a "visit" in Napa.