There are different kinds of “perfect” when it comes to wine. We offer a lot of wines we think are perfect representations of their grape(s) and appellations of origin. Wine critics give perfect scores to a handful of wines each year. These kinds of declarations derive almost exclusively from organoleptic analyses based on established standards. But what about context, or occasion-appropriateness? Factor those in and today’s Bianchello del Metauro from Guerrieri gets 100 points from me—and from anyone who’s ever sipped white wine in a true Italian seaside
trattoria, feasting on whatever was brought in fresh that day.
In that context, this wine is perfect. It so happens to be a perfect representation of grape/place as well, but since the northeastern corner of Italy’s Marche region is not someplace a lot of people have been, I’d rather focus on the occasion—which in this wine’s case is any time there’s going to be seafood on the menu. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve tasted a wine in our office in Sonoma, loved it, but worried about offering it because it was too obscure. We were headed that way with this wine until someone said something like, “Yeah, but if you were having this wine in some killer place on the Italian coast, it’d be perfect.” And, you know what? It is. Like many of its “coastal” white counterparts around the world (Muscadet; Albariño; Santorini Assyrtiko), all it needs is a little context—although a bargain price doesn’t hurt, either!
My own comment about this 2018 is that it’s the “wine you take pictures of on vacation and try to find when you get home.” No need for that today—we’ve got it, and in good quantity. The appellation name Bianchello del Metauro refers to the crisp, aromatic Bianchello grape (a.k.a. Biancame) grown in the Metauro River Valley in northeastern Marche. The Metauro is one of the Marche’s many streams that run down from the Apennines and east to the Adriatic, in this case emptying into the sea about 15 kilometers south of Pesaro. The Guerrieri family farm spreads over an undulating landscape within eyeshot of the sea, covering more than 200 hectares of vineyards, olive groves, and wheat/grains. Their 43 hectares of vineyards, planted in soils of sandy clay with some limestone, are farmed with a keen eye toward sustainability: no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used, and the farm has run entirely on solar energy since 2011.
While the Marche is better known for another signature white—Verdicchio—Bianchello has been coming on strong of late, thanks to a growing diversity of quality producers drawing attention to the region. The Bianchello/Biancame variety may be part of the larger Trebbiano found throughout central and northern Italy, and it is known for its versatility—it is made into a variety of dry, sparkling, and even sweet passito (dried-grape) styles. Guerrieri’s ’18 is the quintessential fresh coastal white, fermented and aged in stainless steel and brimming with floral, fruity aromas and a noticeable blast of “sea spray.”
For me, tasting this white was like being beamed directly to one of the coolest, most delicious seafood restaurants I’ve ever been to:
Clandestino, a small spot just yards from the water in the Marche resort town of Portonovo. On a balmy August night many years ago, amid plate after plate of Italian-style
susci and other just-caught delicacies, my wife and I drank a bottle (maybe two) of a white just like this and wouldn’t have wanted anything else. This 2018 is a pale straw-gold moving to green at the rim, with fresh and inviting scents of white flowers, green peach, citrus pith, sea salt, and green herbs. Light-bodied and full of lively energy, it is a white to drink now and throughout the upcoming summer—pull the cork and let it rip in all-purpose white wine stems at 45 degrees. You probably know where I’m going with the pairing at this point…check out the attached recipe and enjoy!
