Riccitelli Blanco de la Casa 2021
This is the wine that really made me sit back and realise the quality of Matias’s wines and his talent as a winemaker. It also opened my eyes to the potential of Mendoza as a white wine producing region – it’s no one-trick pony. The cool night-time temperatures mean that fruit is given respite from the heat of the day, allowing it to mature slowly and retain its all-important acidity. As a result, this wine is bright and vibrant, with notes of yellow apple, white stone-fruit, green melon, wet stone, and carries mineral undertones. It has had some lees contact which brings waxiness to the fruit that enhances the texture of the wine and brings out the Semillon component very nicely. On top of all this, fermentation is carried out in concrete eggs and the wine is given 3-4 days skin contact, purely to enhance its texture, achieving a very slight gripiness on the palate. All in all, a delicious, complex and thought-provoking wine. 40% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Chardonnay. – Ches Cook, FWC.