Cantina Terlano, Alto Adige Terlano (Italy) Pinot Bianco 2017

 Over and above being a standard-bearer for Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige, this is one of the world’s truly great white wines.  Invariably delicious when first released but equally delicious in different ways over as many as two decades of development, Vorberg Riserva is uncanny for a white that isn’t bolstered by fancy oak like the aristocrats of the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy.  I buy this almost every year and do my level best to keep my mitts off of it to allow the bottles to show their stuff over time, but my best is usually not good enough — I drink far too many of them before they’ve shows all the facets they could reveal over an extended period.  This 2017 vintage may not quite be up to 2014 or 2016, which were fantastic (and remain so, of course), but I may be underestimating it a bit at present.  Seriously rich and with a fruit profile that seems a bit riper than usual, this shows quite impressive palate weight but remains fresh thanks to more-than-adequate acidity.  It benefits greatly from undertones of saline minerality on the mid-palate that become overtones in the finish.  The minerality offers a wonderful counterweight to the ripe fruit flavors that recall baked apple pie filling, replete with the spicy edge and all.  Notably better when re-tasted on the second night after opening, this may prove to be yet another ageless wonder from this great house.