Winemaker Notes
For lovers of white wine, can opening a bottle of a nearly extinct, heirloom variety be as exciting as opening a bottle of Meursault or Chablis? Yes! You can go anywhere in the world and find a glass of Chardonnay. The same cannot be said of Mataòssu. Due to its extremely limited cultivation along Italy’s Ligurian coast, it is an evocative and distinct—albeit widely overlooked—expression of this widely beloved region.
You can’t go wrong with grilled fish or the Ligurian specialty pasta al pesto.
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.
Forming a crescent along Italy’s northwestern Mediterranean coast, Liguria is one of the country’s smallest regions. Though its ports, Genoa and Savona have welcomed foreign influence for centuries, the region today is experiencing a fresh interest in its own indigenous varieties. Liguria commits large efforts to the white Vermentino (also called Pigato) and the red varieties Rossese, Sangiovese and Dolcetto (also called Ormeasco in Liguria).
Liguria has no shortage of dizzyingly steep, coastal vineyards. On its eastern end in Cinqueterre, Vermentino grows along cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. On its west, bordering France, terraced, seaside vineyards are home to Rossese di Dolceacqua, Liguria’s powerful yet highly aromatic red.