Cantina Andrian, Alto Adige (Italy) Pinot Bianco “Finado” 2023 ($23, Banville)

Like my friend and WineReviewOnline colleague Wayne Belding MS, I count myself among the world’s most ardent admirers of Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige—which is one of the world’s truly great white wine categories but yet underappreciated by the great majority of so-called wine experts. This 2023 release is an exceptional Pinot Bianco “Finado” from Cantina Andrian, which is a cooperative winery overseen by yet another Alto Adige co-op, Cantina Terlano (which runs neck-and-neck with Piedmont’s Produttori del Barbaresco for the title of world’s best co-op). The 2023 Finado is rich without being heavy, and creamy in texture without seeming formless or lacking for structure. Those are key attributes of the finest renditions in this category, but most consumers who aren’t engaging in analysis will be charmed by the wine’s fruit flavors, which seem akin to ripe pears, Golden apples, and white melons. There’s plenty of acidity to freshen those flavors—all of which are “soft” as wine tones—yet the acidity is so well integrated that it is sensed as a component of the fruitiness rather than an element that is off-set from it. On top of all that, this is a peerlessly versatile partner for almost any dish that calls for a pairing with white wine.
94 Michael Franz