Tried these 4 over the last few days:
1. Easton Vermentino SaureelVnyd/SierraFoothills/GoldHill/ElDorado (14.5%; www.TerreRougeWines.com; TA: 0.58 gm/100ml) Plymouth 2020: Med. yellow/gold color; very strong perfumed Verm/floral/gardenias/quite spicy strong stony/granitic/chalky/minerally slight herbal fairly complex nose; rather tart/tangy very strong floral/gardenias/Verm/very spicy/bit fresh oregano strong mineral/granitic/stony/chalky fairly rich/lush flavor; very long/lingering very strong high-toned/floral/Verm/gardenias/quite spicy strong mineral/stony/granitic/bit steely rather rich structured finish; has the classic Vermentino aromatics but shows a minerality/stony character that you don't often find in Calif Verm; an impressive debut of Bill's Vermentino. $25.00
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2. TablasCreekVnyd Vermentino/Estate/AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.5%; Rolle) 2020: Light yellow/gold color; very strong fragrant/floral/Verm/gardenias light chalky/perfumed talc quite aromatic nose; lightly tart rather rich/lush very strong Verm/floral/gardenias quite spicy light chalky/perfumed talc flavor; very long/lingering quite strong floral/gardenias/Verm some spicy quite rich/lush lightly tart very strong Verm/floral/gardenias light chalky finish; quite an intense expression of Vermentino w/ loads of rich fruit, maybe even a bit on the bombastic side. Beautiful expression of Vermentino. $17.55
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3. BenevolentNeglect Vermentino WindmillVnyd/DunniganHills/YoloCnty (12%; www.BNWines.com) SantaRosa: Light gold color; light floral/Verm/gardenias lightly herbal/spicy slight perfumed talc rather delicate/fragrant nose; fairly tart/tangy/bit citric light/delicate floral/Verm/gardenias light herbal/spicy/perfumed talc fairly perfumed quite pretty flavor; very long delicate/light/elegant classic floral/Verm/gardenias some tart/tangy/citric/grapefruity slight herbal/perfumed talc finish; speaks clearly of Vermentino in a rather gossamer voice; quite a pretty somewhat quiet expression more towards the Ligurian style but w/o the the savory/salinity those Vermentinos show; probably a Verm that will put on weight over the next year; not at all lean/eviscerated that the 12% alcohol would suggest. $24.00
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4. IdlewildVnyds Favorita FoxHillVnyd/MendoCnty (11.5%) 2020: Light yellow/gold color; faintly floral/Verm/carnations some earthy/dusty/perfumed talc slight melony/MendoChard-like rather closed/underwhelming nose; fairly tart/tangy rather earthy/dusty/perfumed talc bit coarse slight floral/carnations flavor; med. earthy/dusty/bit perfumed talc somewhat coarse very slight floral/carnations/marigolds/bit pungent finish; a somewhat earthy/coarse/MendoChard-like white w/o the usual Vermentino high-toned/fragrant aromatics; resembles a bit a quotidian Roero Favorita; pleasant enough rather simple white but just that. $30.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Easton: This is BillEaston's first stab at Vermentino. Grown up in the GoldHill area just East of Placerville on very granitic soils. This is a wine he brought to his tasting at Pig+Fig for my group to try. It's a welcome addition to the Calif Vermentino tableau.
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2. BenevolentNeglect: This is a tiny operation over in SantaRosa run by winemakers Matt Nagy and Ben Brenner. I heard about them from someplace, took a look at their WebSite, saw they made a large range of interesting wines, and ordered 1.5 cs to try. This is the first one I've tried. From reading their WebSite, they describe their winemaking as "minimal intervention". Though they don't wear it on their sleeve, they would probably fit into the "natural" winemaking camp. Whether they have been discovered by AliceFiering and been vetted by SweetAlice as "natural" winemakers, I have no idea.
The DunniganHills area of YoloCnty is not an area you expect to find fine wines. It is pretty warm there and the wines tend to be a bit on the soft/fat/porky side. I was expecting it to be a bit like Sardinia Vermentinos, which can be a bit lean & coarse. So I was impressed by this delicate/elegant expression of Vermentino from there.
Even more important, I put this winery in the "natural" camp and expected this to show a bit funky/natty in character. It was not. Perfectly clean, it's a bright/scintillating/delicate expression of Vermentino.
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3. Favorita: This is the variety mostly grown in the Roero of the Piemonte. Many references claim it is "related" to the Vermentino of Liguria. In Liguria, they distinguish the Vermentino grape from the native Pigato. There are sufficient morphological differences between the Roero Favorita and the Ligurian Vermentino that the Italian authorities classify them as different varieties. Nonetheless, according to JancisRobinson, Favorita/Vermentino/Pigato are identical from their DNA, even though there are distinct morphological differences.
This Idlewild was a pleasant enough white that reminded me more of a quotidian MendoCnty Chard than the usually aromatic Vermentino. It may evolve, however, into something interesting and put on weight w/ age. But, right now, it doesn't particularly thrill.
Tom