Straw yellow dry white wine. This Grillo boasts a lively, fresh acidity, with floral hints and exotic fruit flavours.
Italy
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2018 Luigi Baudana, `Dragon` Langhe Bianco
GL172
Taste Notes:
41% Chardonnay , 30% Nascetta, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Riesling. The wine has perfumes of stone, flowers and summery grass with a slightly savoury note on the palate. The touches of Riesling and Nascetta add an extra hint of elegance, giving it a long refreshing finish. Dragon is a symbol of courage for Vajra, who experimented here with local and international white varietals in this fresh and perfumed white wine. It is a very unusual blend for the Barolo area: Chardonnay and Sauvignon with Nascetta and Riesling.
Vineyard:
The Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc vineyards are located on the north-east shoulder of Cerretta Piani at mid-slope. A fold of this slope makes the plot cooler and more suitable for white grapes. Below the thin topsoil lies one of the oldest conglomerates of all Piemonte: 14-million-year-old Helvetian soil. The Nascetta is grown in the Comune of Novello, the birthplace of the variety, at the top of the Ravera hill. Vajra has always believed in sustainable farming and keeps the turf natural and green in the vineyard. Traditional pruning is practised as well as using the Guyot mixed system of trellising. Every phase of winemaking, starting in the vineyard, is carried out by hand. No irrigation is used, while green harvest is decided according to the vintage.
Vinification:
The grapes were hand harvested. Soft crushing was followed by up to 12 days of fermentation at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks. The wine remained in stainless-steel tanks until bottling the following spring.
Producer:
This small estate has just over four hectares of vineyard, all in the commune of Serralunga d'Alba. Their tiny cellar is situated in the village of Baudana, while their vineyards are primarily in the 'crus' of Baudana and the highly regarded Cerretta. After 30 years running the winery, and without heirs to take over the business, Luigi and Fiorina Baudana took the difficult decision to sell. As part of his research, Luigi visited the Vajra winery incognito one day, and was so impressed with the way they dealt with people and communicated their philosophy that he rang Aldo soon afterwards to ask if he would be interested in buying the estate. A deal was soon done, and the Vajra family have run this estate alongside Luigi and Fiorina ever since. The first vintage was 2009 and from then onwards we can see the true expression of the new Luigi Baudana.
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Vermentino Di Sardegna, Antonella Corda
GL180
The nose is fragrant and intense with aromas of peach and tropical fruit with aromatic hints of sage and capers.The aromas carry on to the palate where the refreshing acidity brightens the wine. The finish is long and lingering.
The fruits for this wine comes from Antonio Argiolas (Antonella Corda's grandfather and Sardinian famed viticulturist) favourite vineyard: Mitza Manna. This is a seven hectares vineyard at 200 meters above sea level. The soil here is marly limestone which helps maintaining freshness and the delicate aromas of Vermentino. Plants are trained with Guyot system and planted at a density of 4545 plants per hectare. The Mistral wind from the mediterranean sea has a favourable influence here by lowering the temperature and keeping the vines clean from fungal diseases.
Antonella Corda, the granddaughter of the famed viticulturalist Antonio Argiolas, founded her winery in 2010 after finishing her masters in viticulture and winemaking at the prestigious Edmund Mach Foundation. Her approach blends a proud, century-old family tradition of winemaking with ambition and innovation. Antonio, who lived to the age of 104, left Antonella two of his prized vineyards, located around the village of Serdiana, a few kilometres north of Cagliari. The mild climate, water availability and the rich calcareous soils here give the wines a unique character and a signature freshness. Antonella follows a sustainable approach and the vineyards are farmed organically.
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Curatolo Arini, Inzolia
GL398
Bright, light straw yellow with pale green hints. Delicate aromas of fresh citrus and tropical fruits, white flowers and almond. The palate carries on with touched of citrus and melon, mingled with ripe peach flavours and a fresh mineral tingling acidity.
100% Inzolia
Established in 1875 by Vito Curatolo Arini, the winery is now run by the fifth generation of the Curatolo family, making it the oldest family-owned Marsala producer. Alberto Antonini is the consultant winemaker and his influence is evident in the wines, combining the richness that Sicily can easily provide with the freshness only someone with Alberto’s experience can retain.
Thanks to the favourable climate in Sicily, consistency in quality can be assured from vintage to vintage.
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Caiaffa Fiano - Organic
GL189
The organic Fiano grapes are hand-picked then destemmed and crushed. The must is transferred to stainless steel where fermentation takes place spontaneously using indigenous yeast. The wine is aged for three months on the lees before bottling and release.
A lively and fresh white wine, with delicate flavors and aromas of ripe citrus fruit, stone fruits and white flowers. Great acidity and well balanced with a lovely long finish.
A perfect aperitif or enjoy with fish based, or light pasta dishes.
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Luma Grillo, Cantine Cellaro
GL192
Excellent to serve with light dishes or fish dishes, light risotto, cous cous and fish soup. Great with smoked fish and crab. Excellent aperitif.