2021 Josetta Saffirio, Langhe DOC Rossese Bianco, Piemonte, Italy.
One of the rarest wines in Piemonte, the gold/yellow hued 100% Rossese Bianco, thought to be a natural mutation of the red Rossese di Dolceacqua grape or Tibouren which can have gold or pink (Gris) pigment, is a lovely textural and vinous white wine, giving delicate floral aromas, with a mineral and waxy smooth medium bodied palate. Coming from vines with a southeast exposure up at 300-400 meters above sea level and on calcareous soils this distinctive wine offers up a slightly mature sense of yellow peach, lemon, quince and earthy muskmelon fruits, along with a bit of herbaceous tangy, bitter almond, honeycomb, wet rock and verbena. This dry white would be best with artisan soft cheeses like La Tur and or sea food dishes and with the hint of secondary evolution and the feeling of light acidity, though I’m sure it can age further, I might suggest not going too flavorful or spicy with it as to really get a full picture of what is going on in this intriguing rarity. For this wine, the winery employed a short skin maceration, then fermented the Rossese Bianco in temperature controlled stainless steel with native yeasts and allowed it to finish both primary and Malo-lactic fermentation, after which the wine was aged on the lees in large old Botti and saw some bâtonage (stirring of the yeast), which helps explain the more rounded mouth feel here. I am filled with curiosity as how this wine came about and how this grape actually got here, though another Ligurian white grape, Favorita, better known as Vermentino, is also here in the Langhe. So wine geeks will be advised to grab some f this stuff for the ultimate blind tasting, as 99% of the professional wine world will have never heard of this varietal.
The Josetta Saffirio winery, a small estate, is one I had only once before with their Langhe Nebbiolo being the bottle I tried, and even though I enjoyed that one, this Rossese Bianco is an obscure treat and I had never known that the grape even existed before my friend James at Phoenix Selections in Memphis turned me on to it on my travels to Tennessee! Digging further into the winery I found out that the Josetta Saffirio is a historic two hundred year old property, family-run and completely organic estate in the commune of Monforte d’Alba, in Piemonte. Maybe most famous for producing highly regarded Barolo wines, it now spans a full five generations, the estate is currently run by the talented Sara Vezza, who took over from her mother, Josetta, blending generations of heritage with modern and sustainable viticulture. Saffirio is known for its iconic wine labels featuring a little gnome, a mascot introduced by Sara’s grandfather, symbolizing the connection to nature and the environmentally friendly practices in the vines. Back to the Rossese Bianco grape, a natural occurring mutation of the light skinned and almost Gamay like Rossese di Dolceacqua, which is common to the Liguria Region, and not seen in Piemonte, makes for a mystery, as to why we don’t see this mutation in the Italian Riviera, along the Ligrian coast and or in Provence, when this ancient varietal, also known as Tibouren, is thought to be original from. I can say that when tasting this wine, I seem to feel like I can actually taste the relation to the parent red grape, especially if you’ve had Clos Cibonne Rosé of Tibouren. I am fascinated by this wine, the Rossese Bianco grape and the winery, and looking forward to following on the offerings here, as well as getting a fresh vintage!
($35 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive