With Hart, Brandon and QH at Mustard Seed.

I’ve wanted to try a Valentini for a couple years now, but it always pains me to pay big bucks for whites and so I’ve just been too cheap to taste it. Thankfully, I have a friend named Brandon, and we could split the bottle.

In the glass: pale orangey gold.
The first thing that struck me was this huge waft minerality on the nose upfront, citrus peel. It was very bright, with high acidity, and a certain oiliness to the palette. Oddly enough, it has a bitter finish that lingers quite a bit.

As the wine breathed more, distinct notes of green pear that I really enjoyed. Interestingly, the wine has very distinct profiles at different temp. When ice cold, it’s very bright and citrusy. As it sat and warmed up in the glass, it deepens and almost smells caramelly. In both cases, anchored by a very sturdy minerality.
The wine paired phenomenally well with a very mineral-driven oyster, as well as a sour-spicy broth.

I was tempted to give this well over 4.5 because I found this just absolutely delicious and interestingly complex, but that bitter finish bugs me too much. It was a little too strong, too persistent. That said, I can’t tell if it’s the wine, or whether my sense of taste is still distorted by my post-surgery antibiotics. HM.

EDITED: have since confirmed I have antibiotics palette. Everything I’m tasting has the same lingering bitterness. Dammit.