It is always obligatory when I taste or drink Ferrari-Carano’s Fumé Blancs to reference my mother. This was her favorite wine, and it was the only one where, with prodding, we could get enough in her to become euphoric. Why she liked it so much I never can be sure, but certainly every time I have had it, I can understand its popularity. It basically says one thing, “I am delicious.” In many ways, there is no need for a wine critic or any wine jargon if a wine can make that point quickly. In any event, the 2014 Fumé Blanc has a delightful, rather compelling, big sweet kiss of caramelized citrus, melons, a touch of peach and tropical fruits. Whatever French oak they use seems pushed way to the background, and the wine is exuberantly fruity, even effusive, with good acidity and always has stunning purity of character. This is a beauty, and with respect to my mother, she had it right. Drink this in its first year or so of life. - Robert Parker