GUTTAROLO
Vino Bianco 2020
Puglia, Italy
A blend of roughly equal parts of Verdeca from Cristiano’s vineyards, along with a little Fiano and Malvasia from an old organic vineyard in Gioia. The grapes are macerated as whole bunches for a week before being pressed off for a short élevage in porcelain amphorae. A beautiful shade of peach in the glass, this is wonderfully floral and impresses with plush stone fruits, a hint of tannin and a clean, mineral finish.
Verdeca, Fiano, Malvasia
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Cristiano Guttarolo’s vineyards are away the plains which often produce hot, flabby wines, on a plateau of limestone some 400 metres above sea level, they benefit from the unique climate in which they live. Daytime temperatures are cooler than usual thanks to a strong breeze from the sea, while the site’s elevation offers a fluctuation between day and night temperatures, allowing the grapes to ripen fully while retaining freshness and finesse.
While the wines are unmistakably Pugliese, full of wild, sun-drenched fruit, they have a balance often missing around here, one that allows the grape and place to sing and the drinker to enjoy the beautiful minerality that karst soils bring.
Vineyard work is excellent, organic and done entirely by hand, while in the cellar Cristiano eschews the use of additives entirely as these are the sort of wines he likes to drink.