Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco DOC
Campania, Italy
Lacryma Christi Bianco is made from Coda di Volpe, a native grape that thrives in the volcanic soils surrounding Mount Vesuvius. Terredora works with hillside vineyards facing the Gulf of Naples, bringing salinity, freshness and layered complexity. Fermentation in stainless steel maintains aromatic clarity and purity of fruit. On the nose, expect lemon peel, white peach, sage and crushed rock. The palate is dry, textured and saline, with refreshing acidity and a mineral backbone that lingers. A fantastic match for seafood, fried anchovies or spaghetti alle vongole. Bright, distinctive and brimming with southern Italian energy.
The Producer
Terredora owes its existence to an acrimonious split within Campania’s first family of wine, Mastroberardino. The largest private owners in the region, Terredora now control more than 125 hectares including prize parcels in the south’s leading DOCGs: Fiano d’Avellino, Greco di Tufo and Taurasi. Terredora is strictly Azienda Agricola, which is to say that they would never consider purchasing grapes from other growers; that’s a pleasant change from the norm in this part of the world.
Their Taurasi (they make three) deserve a place in every collector’s cellar: structured, aromatically complex and seemingly immortal, Taurasi is thinking man’s Barolo. Fiano, the region’s flagship white, always surprises with its ability to acquire Alsace-like complexity and with a decade under its belt it is often hauntingly fragrant. The white Lacryma Christi is 100% Coda di Volpe sourced from a small plot on the slopes of Vesuvius where the mineral-rich soil delivers a nervy edge. The Falanghina (an IWC Trophy winner) shows pear and red apple on the nose whilst Greco di Tufo offers its signature quince, pear and melon.
