Possa - U Giancu 2022
(Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy)
A real stunner... 'U Giancu' means 'the white wine' in the local dialect of Riomaggiore, one of the five villages that form this Unesco World Heritage site. The wine is made fron the hyper local Albarola, grown at high altitude overlooking the sea, and given 24 days of skin contact to extract deeper flavour (but not much colour). Following fermentation it is aged in steel for 9 months for a pure and linear expression. This is generous yet super fresh, a refined salt bomb that speaks of its volcanic soils, its seaside origins, and the gentle hand of its winemaker. Bottled with no additions.
Made by Heydi Bonanini, one of only a dozen growers still working the insane slopes of the Cinque Terre, and keeping alive a tradition well worth saving. Wines that speak of their sea cliffs origins, of salty winds, of hyper local grape varieties, and pure clarity. A grower for whom biodiversity is not just an aim but a way of life.