Idlewild “Lost Hills Ranch”
MENDOCINO COUNTY , CALIFORNIA | 2019
This one is a bit of a curveball wine as it is a white Piedmont varietal grown in the Central Coast of California. The Italian grape revolution is running strong in this part of California where winemakers are becoming more explorative with more esoteric Italian grapes, and we are here to prove why you should be paying attention. Cortese is a varietal made famous for its freshness, subtle nuance, and remarkable texture. It is best known from northern Italy’s Gavi region, but it turns out it feels remarkably at home in Mendocino County. In the cool and elevated Yorkville Highlands, coastal influence and rocky soils slow ripening of the fruit and preserve the bright acidity that defines the variety allowing its natural mineral tension to take center stage.
Idlewild is the project of Sam Bilbro who came to Midi in 2023 to host a wonderful wine tasting with us, and we are big fans of him and his wines. Sam’s focus has always been on organically farmed vineyards and site-driven wines that blur the line between “Old World” elegance and California power. Rather than chasing ripeness and muscle, Idlewild’s wines are about aromatic lift and abundant energy with incredible aging potential. Lost Hills Ranch vineyard is perched at a uniquely high elevation and shaped by massive winds and poor soils which is a perfect match for Cortese’s naturally restrained character and allowing even greater aging ability.
The 2019 Lost Hills Ranch Cortese shows lemon peel, white flowers, wild herbs, and a saline edge with a portion of skin contact lending quiet almond-skin grip and a tactile, food-loving structure. This is not a loud white wine. It’s precise, layered, and deeply refreshing. Neither overtly Italian nor stereotypically Californian, it’s a beautiful expression of how the right grape, in the right place, with the right hands, can feel completely at ease. Now with six years of age, it is a stunner by itself and pairs great with rich, buttery seafood or pesto inspired pasta dishes.