Italy is a treasure trove of incredible white wines, thanks to an incalculable number of indigenous grapes—more than France, Spain, and Greece combined, in fact! Today we shine a spotlight on Erbaluce, one of the most delicious, mineral, and thought-provoking of them all.
It is a native variety which, like so many native Italian varieties, grows in one small area of one region (Piedmont) and nowhere else. What’s especially interesting to me about Erbaluce is that it’s probably fourth on the dry white name-recognition chart behind Cortese di Gavi, Arneis, and the now-trendy Timorasso, but arguably makes the best wines of them all. Especially as grown in the sandy, gravelly soils of Caluso, northeast of Turin, Erbaluce is an Italian answer to some of the textured, mineral whites from the other side of the Alps, in France’s Savoie. It’s also sometimes compared to Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, thanks to its naturally high acidity and the versatility that freshness affords: there are sparkling and sweet Erbaluces as well as dry ones, all of them blessed with an invigorating, mountain-meadow purity. If you enjoy the electrifying energy of Alpine whites, this one must be on your hit list.
Of the handful of producers making commercially viable quantities of Erbaluce di Caluso, Benito Favaro is characteristically tiny, with just three hectares of vineyards and few carefully crafted micro-bottlings. Father-son team Benito and Camillo Favaro are based in the town of Piverone, near Caluso, the town that lends its name to the broader wine zone right near where Piedmont gives way to the Valle d’Aosta. With the snow-capped Alps as a backdrop, the vineyards of the Caluso area are rooted in soils of glacial moraine, a sand and gravel mixture prized for its superior drainage and abundance of minerals. It is grouped among the wine zones of the alto Piemonte (“upper Piedmont”), although it is about an hour or so west of appellations such as Gattinara and Ghemme.
This shimmering 2018 captures the mineral, floral essence of dry Erbaluce perfectly, while also tacking on a layer of mid-palate richness not always found in Alpine whites. Fermented and aged only in stainless steel, it spent four months on its lees (spent yeast cells), which imparts a subtle hint of creaminess to an otherwise gem-cut white: In the glass, it’s a pale straw-gold with green highlights, with high-toned aromas of green apple, apricot, white flowers, cut grass, green herbs, citrus peel, and wet stones. It is medium-bodied, mineral, and racy, reminiscent of everything from Loire Valley Chenin to Jacquère from Savoie to village-level Chablis. Pull the cork about 15 minutes before serving in all-purpose white wine stems at 45-50 degrees and you’ve got the perfect wine for pairing with salads, grilled vegetables, oysters, and, in a stylistic nod to wines like Chablis and Sancerre, softer, fresher goat/cow’s milk cheeses. The acidity, minerality, and clean flavors are tailor-made for Piedmontese cheeses like Robiola, Murazzano, and Toma. Chances are, however, that it’ll work with whatever you pair it with, so don’t be afraid to experiment. In fact, since they eat a lot of raw beef in Piedmont, let’s try that! Cheers!
