2023 Punta Crena Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino 'Vigneto Isasco'

The Ruffino family has been farming their terraced vineyards right next to the Ligurian Sea for over 500 years. Their winery, Punta Crena, is named after the promontory at the edge of their village, Varigotti. It’s in western Liguria, or what the Italians poetically call Liguria di Ponente - the Liguria where the sun sets. Vermentino is one of Italy’s most compelling white grape varieties, with excellent examples coming from Sardinia and Tuscany as well as Liguria. The ones from Liguria are arguably the most delicate - they tend toward finesse rather than power.

Punta Crena’s Vermentino is from a single vineyard - Vigneto Isasco - with gravelly, red-clay soils. It ferments and then ages on the lees for four months, all in stainless steel tanks. The wine is very pale in the glass, as befits a Ligurian Vermentino. It shows tart orchard and citrus fruits with a distinct mineral twang in the nose. There’s just enough texture in the mouth, yet the wine remains racy; think mountain stoniness + salty ocean spray, just like Liguria itself. Drink it with all kinds of seafood - especially shellfish - or an herby omelet. Check out our new neighbors Billingsgate Seafood for ideas.