Winemaker Notes
Deep yellow flecked with gold. The wine speaks of summer sun and rich, ripe tropical fruit such as mango and papaya, carefully balanced by a marked acidity making it suitable for long bottle aging. Lush, ample and lingering on the palate with hints of flowers and spice. Defined by its trademark acidity and zesty tang. A long finish. "Minestra di Sgavajone": a typical soup from the fishermen of Anzio made with the broth of this local fish, rarely found outside the family home
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
None of us saw this wine coming: a total surprise from the indigenous Bellone grape grown in Lazio in Central Italy, just to the southwest of Rome itself. The grape has often been made in a slightly sweeter style in the past, but this example is full and firm, lightly oaked, and made in a food-friendly, dry style. If you have a soft spot for the Central Italian whites of Frascati, Castelli Romani, Marino and the Colli Albani, you might recognise its limpid, faithfully grapy aromas and soft honeysuckle charm. That wouldn’t alone be enough to propel the wine through to a Platinum medal and a Best In Show appearance. What makes the difference here is the substance, concentration and drive of this wine, together with the haunting subtlety of its aromatic profile. It's absolutely (we felt) a wine for fine dining and the table, and the soundness and innate generosity of its flavours combined with the fact that it is not disconcerting or confronting in any way gives it a strikingly wide range of gastronomic applications. It deserves a wider audience.
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James Suckling
A lively, driven and pleasantly bitter white with notes of pear sorbet, warm herbs and lemon leaves. It’s medium-bodied with fresh acidity. Juicy and seductive, with a playful finish.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
Known as the ancient homeland of the Latins, today there is a vigorus wine industry beyond the city limits of modern, bustling Rome. The Cesanese grape, full of red berry, spice and rose, is responsible for Lazio’s only true local reds. Lazio’s most famous white wine, called Frascati, is based on the local Malvasia del Lazio and Trebbiano Toscana. A sweet version, called Cannellino di Frascati, is also made.