2017 La Colombera Timorasso Colli Tortonesi Derthona

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 89.3 points

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  3/30/2022 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points

  100% organically farmed Timorasso from vineyards planted in 1997 and 2000. The grape skins are macerated in the must for a few hours before pressed. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 10 months in stainless steel tanks. Typically bottled with about 70 mg/l SO2. Annual production around 15,000 bottles. 14,5% alcohol, 1 g/l residual sugar and 5,8 g/l acidity.
  
  Luminous, youthful, pale lime-green color. Fragrant, sweet-toned nose that feels at first a bit reductive and plastic-y and slightly alcoholic, but opens up to reveal aromas of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some white peach, a little bit of mirabelle, light leesy nuances, a hint of quince and a nutty touch of slivered almonds. The wine feels rich, structured and moderately oily on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of ripe pears and mirabelle plums, some phenolic spice, a little bit of leesy character, light extracted waxy and slightly bitter nuances, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of mealy red apple. The moderately high acidity keeps the wine quite well in balance despite the somewhat viscous mouthfeel, while the alcohol shows through a little, lending richness and some warmth to the palate. The finish is rich, broad and juicy with some alcoholic warmth and long flavors of white peach, some apple jam, light notes of mirabelle plums, a little bit of fresh orange, a hint of waxy richness and a touch of extracted bitterness.
  
  A rather substantial and voluptuous Timorasso where the hot 2017 vintage shows through quite clearly, yet the wine seems to be evolving in the right direction. Couple of years ago the wine seemed even bigger, heavier and clumsier with softer acidity, but this time the ripe, sweetly-fruited richness had subsided a little and even if the wine is quite big, the acidity seems to have moved a more to the fore. While the wine is still quite young, promising good potential for future development, I doubt this vintage is going to be as long-lived as the best vintages of Timorasso. Good, but not great - and still feels a bit pricey for the quality at 26,70€.

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  2/24/2022 - peternelson Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Very nice medium body (for Timorasso) wine, distinctive Timorasso chalk/glue/macademia thing going on. good concentration and power/length. Pasta Bar w/B&BSwan
  
  Derthona is the name of an ancient village now called Tortona and is now the official "aplelation" name of Timorasso as "great wines do not have grape varietal names" according to the consorzio.

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  5/22/2020 - forceberry wrote: 88 Points

  14,5% alcohol, 1 g/l residual sugar and 5,8 g/l acidity.
  
  Concentrated and quite deep peach-yellow color with faint greenish highlights. Very expressive and heady nose with intense aromas of honeydew melon and mirabelle plums, some waxy tones, a little bit of quince, light overripe pineapple tones, a hint of pear and a nutty touch of chopped almond. Lots of stuff going on here. The wine is very full-bodied and noticeably oily on the palate with some obvious sense of viscosity. Very ripe and concentrated flavors of honeydew melon and cantaloupe, beeswax, some pineapple, a little bit of stony minerality, light apple jam tones, fruity hints of juicy pear and mirabelle plums and a touch of bitter almond. The acidity feels medium here - not particularly high, but high enough to keep the wine together. The high alcohol lends some obvious warmth to the palate. The finish is very ripe, juicy and fruity with persistent flavors of honeydew melon, mirabelle plums, some apple jam, a little bit of stone minerality and a hint of spicy herbs. The high alcohol makes the wine end on a somewhat warm note.
  
  This is a big, oily and somewhat heavy effort - just like Timorasso often is. I've grown to think of this variety as a combination of Viognier (the high alcohol, peachy tones and viscous mouthfeel) and Riesling (overall flavor profile, high acidity and sense of minerality), but here the Riesling component reminds me more of a lush, waxy and heavy Riesling from a hot vintage - say, a Pfalz Riesling from 2011 - than an archetypal, crisp and racy Riesling. This is big, concentrated and impressive wine, but just as a hot vintage Riesling, this is a bit on the heavy, waxy and ponderous side. Lacks the precision and refinement of the best Timorassos, and probably won't be as long-lived as the best examples. Good, but not great; feels a bit pricey for the quality at 26,70€.

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  5/12/2020 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points

  Light yellow gold. Citrus, stone fruit, quince, pear, apple, some peach and a stony mineral component are joined by hints of almond and spice, with lively acidity, a buttery mouthfeel and very good length. Medium- to full-bodied, fresh and very balanced. Quite beautiful. Good value at €15,90!

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