Rating: 86

Lacryma Chrsti is a wine from grapes grown on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius in Italy. It comes in both red and white.  We have a 2006 white Lacryma Christi from Sannino Herculaneum winery. I picked this bottle up at the Wine Exchange for $14.

Lacryma Christi means "tear of Christ", and according to Wikipedia is named for a story that Christ cried when Lucifer fell, and that the tears fell on the slopes of Vesuvius and gave inspiration to the wines that came from there.  While the story is mythical, the name nevertheless drew my attention.  I must say, though, that a wine with such a name holds high expectations.

This was a very pleasant, easy to drink wine that is perfect for a summer evening. It is light and with pleasant fruit flavors, and just a touch of complexity.

The color was a pleasant crystal clear light straw color, and the nose was a delightful bouquet of floral and fruit flavors; pears, lychee and green apples. While the label describes this as full bodied, this is definitely a medium to light bodied wine with good balance of acidity and sweetness.

The taste nearly delivered on the promise of the nose, with pleasant lychee and citrus fruit flavors. There was an undertones of wood and pepper that added a hint of complexity to the wine.  The finish was pleasant, and highlighted the pepper undertones.

The bottle argues that this pairs well with seafood, which it clearly would.  However, we finished the bottle with a bit of cheese and fresh salsa and we were quite happy with how the wine paired with these as well.

The wine was definitely worthwhile, though it is a bit short of the perfection one would expect from the varietal name.  I will definitely be buying more of this wine both for the pleasure of the drink and the excellent conversation about the wine itself.