Ciavolich, Aries Pecorino, Colline Pescaresi, Abruzzo, 2019

You have to question the need for a wax cap on a white that should be drunk within a handful of years; the conclusion being that it signals the producer's confidence in the quality of this wine. From a single hectare in Loreto Aprutino at 250 metres above sea level, a small percentage is matured in old French tonneaux for three months before bottling. The result is an aromatic wine full of summer meadow flowers, melon, straw, apricot, lemon, apple, rosewater and sweet exotic spices. It's delightfully complex in the mouth too, and light on its feet thanks to the lifted lemon notes and good acidity. Green apple and citrus flavours are joined by cantaloupe and honeydew melon, a richer streak of apricot, and a touch of smoky wood on the finish, with some white grapefruit, rosewater and white flower highlights.