Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
$28 (Wine Club Reorder Price: $24)
Cruess was founded in 2013 by Anthony Beckman and Alissa Lind, with a strong commitment to producing unique and beautiful wines without compromise. They are also very focused on bringing high quality wines to market without an accompanying high price.
You may not be familiar with Fiano, a classic white grape of Southern Italy. It is a white wine lover’s delight, complex yet an easy drinker that pairs well with a meal or on its own. Fiano has a medium-light body and medium acidity. Fiano is also surprisingly ageworthy, many can be cellared for 5 to 10 years.
The fruit for this wine comes from Bowland Vineyards, a pristine one and half acre vineyard in Russian River Valley. As for the winemaking process, this is a pure expression of Fiano, with nine days of soaking on the skins, then pressed and fermented with native yeast in neutral oak barrels for ten months. The result is a fascinating and seductively rich wine loaded with fresh melon, nuttiness, papaya, and exotic fruit (not sweet and dry). It offers amazing aromatics that jump out of the glass. The wine is lush and dense on the mid-palate, yet extremely elegant, fragrant, and complex. This wine is unfined and unfiltered and no animal products were used in the making of this wine – it’s vegan-friendly.
We think the 2018 Cruess Fiano will pair well with savory glazed light meats like orange-rosemary roasted chicken and soy-glazed salmon. In Italy fiano is commonly paired with fish and shellfish, but it also goes well with chicken, pork, and veal with any sauces that are not strongly citrusy.
Amy Ryan – November 2021
Bacchus & Venus Wines 