SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch is an avowed lover of white wines from the Vermentino grape, which thrives in coastal locales and beautifully evokes its Mediterranean origins.
Welcome to another edition of “Italian white wines you need to try right now.” We’re back in the northwestern region of Liguria, the crescent-shaped sliver of coastline where mountains meet the sea in the most dramatic and delicious of ways. The grape variety on display is the hardy and fragrant Vermentino, known as Rolle over on the French side of the Riviera. This example is from a small, family-run property called Bio Vio, whose vineyards perch on steep terraces overlooking the Mediterranean and whose wine, this 2015 Vermentino “Aimone,” tastes of both woodland greenery and salty sea spray. Seduced as I am by its magical place of origin—one sip and I’m back on the beaches near Bio Vio’s home base in Albenga, trying to tan rather than stroke while nibbling fried seafood—what ultimately matters is whether the wine delivers, and it does: It is lushly fruited yet saline and mineral; snappy yet substantial; and as fragrant as a damp grove of maritime pines. Thirsty yet? I sure am. I cannot recommend this white highly enough, especially if seafood of any kind is on the menu.
Look at the
image that comes up when you Google-search Albenga. I mean, come on…if you were drinking this wine there it would be the best white wine you ever tasted, but I’m happy to report that “Aimone” passes the tasted-out-of-context test. The name of this small property pays homage to its status as an agricola biologica—organic farm—and to its proprietor, Giobatta “Aimone” Vio, for whom this top-of-the-line bottling is named. The Vio family grows not just Vermentino, Pigato, and Rossese grapes but Taggiasca olives for oil and an assortment of fragrant herbs down on the plains around Albenga. They’ve been certified organic since 1999, and do everything by hand (by necessity—one look at their vineyards and it’s clear there’s no mechanization happening).
“Aimone” is crafted from 100% Vermentino grown on hillside sites of schist, quartz, and limestone, fermented and aged in stainless steel. It carries the DOC appellation Riviera Ligure di Ponente (“western Riviera of Liguria”), and comes from 30-40-year-old vines.
The 2015 “Aimone” has had some time to integrate and broaden, but it is still defined by lively freshness and saline minerality. In the glass it’s a shimmering straw-gold moving to green at the rim, with transporting aromas of green apple, stone fruits, wildflower honey, wild sage, rosemary, mint, and sea spray. Medium-bodied and lushly textured, it is racy, tangy, and bright, finishing with a beautiful herbal/floral flourish. It is ready to drink now: pop and pour at 45-50 degrees in all-purpose white wine stems. Literally any white-fleshed fish or shellfish will absolutely sing with this wine, as would a simple
fritto misto of seafood and vegetables. Just to make it extra Ligurian, I’ve attached a recipe incorporating pesto, which “Aimone” channels in wine form.
Buon appetito and happy end of Summer!
—D.L.
