Fèlsina Berardegna
I Sistri (Toscana IGT)
2006
This 100% Chardonnay, unoaked, is pale greenish-gold, offering a bewitching nose of tulips, paperwhites, and warm stones. The first sip, oddly, brought brightly to mind an image from earlier today, one of a beautiful garter snake—the one who lives in my garden—slipping languidly under the thyme flowers as I harvested herbs for the evening meal. "This wine tastes like snakeskin," I thought. "It is wine as chimera."
"But that's absurd," I argued back. "You must be more practical in your descriptions. Try to think straight." Still, when a wine makes me see things, I take note; it's trying to tell me something.
But what? The next flavor filling my mouth was of citrus, more stone, and gardenia blossoms. But once inside it was a bit demure, and somewhat smoky. Or maybe that's just its minerals talking.
And then—it was gone, its brightness evanescent, departing without flourish, leaving only the memory of a glossy creature slipping quickly away.
Price: $19
Drinks like: $25
Bang for the buck: 132%
