Idlewild Flora & Fauna White, Mendocino 2020 (750 ml)

The Flora & Fauna White is a balance of florals (orange blossoms), minerals (wet stones), citrus (lemon peel), and orchard fruit (pear). Just when the wine starts to feel intense in its phenolics and aromatics, the palate turns to this near rain water like lightness with a crisp and clean finish.

Winery notes: For 2020, the blend compromises of roughly 56% Arneis, 42% Muscat Canelli (a.k.a Muscat Blanc, Moscato Bianco), and 2% Cortese. All three varietals predominantely come from the steep hillsides of Lost Hills Ranch in Mendocino’s Yorkville Highlands AVA, where the vines work hard to dig into the fractured sandstone and schist based soils.

The explosive aromatics of Muscat Canelli fill the cellar, but upon tasting the juice, the balance of the early take of Arneis shows the structural bones. The wine is highlighted by honey, wildflowers, wet stones, salty air, jasmine, and orange blos-soms. The mouth feel is shaped like a diamond: lean on the front, a touch of oiliness and rich-ness through the mid, and then racy and driving through the finish.

 Vinous: 92 Points

The 2020 Flora & Fauna White Wine is a pretty, aromatic white based on Arneis and Muscat Canelli. Exotic floral notes, apricot, orange peel and spice all grace this attractive, inviting white from Idlewild.

Idlewild has a relatively concise aim within a broad context: to produce wines of exceptional balance and beauty. It is a journey to pursue Italy’s Piedmont in the elevated hills of Mendocino County, and to find the sides of these varieties that are intriguing, delicious, and haunting.

Each wine is unique and treated as such, though the common thread is balancing depth and seriousness with vibrancy and joy. Emphasis is on the vineyard followed by minimalist winemaking techniques. While not dogmatic in practice, an honest and sustainable approach is fundamental in making wines of purity.

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