Castello del Poggio non-vintage Riesling

Provincia del Pavia IGT, Lombardy close to Piedmont, Italy; 10.5% ABV
imported by Zonin USA
$4 at the Richmond, CA, store on 22 March

I recalled previously liking another white from Provincia de Pavia, northern Italy, so I was quite interested in this wine, since I think of Riesling generally doing better at more northern climes.  This wine has some of the delicate yellow fruit I associate with Piemontese whites, and while not quite what I was expecting, on the second day I thought it was really very good.

In the first couple pours, I thought this wine showed similar, slightly floral delicateness in the fruit as the previous Piemontese whites I’ve tasted, but without enough acid to balance the wine’s sweetness.  After a bit of air, the wine shows rich yellow apple with maybe some ripe pineapple, with slight acid of green apple and pineapple, and perhaps a slight oxidized character.  Although I thought the Waugh Riesling had good fruit / acid balance, a couple regualars thought there wasn’t enough acid.  In this wine, I thought there wasn’t enough acid to balance the fruit and sweetness.  However…  Seedboy, who usually loves tart wine, wrote, “The Castello del Poggio Riesling, Provincia di Pavia, Piemonte, is delicious. Dry, minerally, balanced, no petrol. I am buying some more.”  When I queried him, he replied, “I don’t even think it is sweet. It is fruity.”  That was not my perception at all, but maybe, in a possible Grocery Outlet situation, multiple incarnations of this non-vintage wine are being sold at once?

Trying it again the next day, I still think the wine is a little sweet, but the fruit / acid balance seems better and, wow, is it delicious.  The flavors have integrated into a very elegant wine.  This wine, although with a more aged character, is really lovely.