Bright medium golden-yellow. Menthol and banana on the nose are complemented by vanilla and aromatic herbs. Enters big rich and creamy, then turns more austere and herbal with a spicy tannic backbone nicely framing the rich tropical and pomaceous orchard fruit flavors. Finishes long and rich, with a peppery nuance. A trace of alcoholic heat detracts from my score, but this is a very successful Latour a Civitella.

Here's a terrific white that figures high on a list of quality wines from Lazio in central Italy. The 2015 Latour a Civitella is a pure expression of Grechetto that has been aged briefly in oak, unlike the other whites released by Sergio Mottura. Packaged in a screwcap bottle, the wine cracks open to lively aromas of stone fruit, juicy grapefruit, saffron and beeswax. There's a distinct mineral note that appears as a faint trait at the back. This is a beautiful wine, and it's not as obvious as you might first think.