La Colombera Timorasso Derthona 2019

100% Timorasso. Timorasso is one of Italy’s most interesting white wine grape varieties, one of the few noble varieties that age well. Elisa Semino of La Colombera is a brilliant and enthusiastic proponent of the variety, and of this region, the Colli Tortonesi; and she and her brother and father grow and vinify one of the best examples of it. Ian d’Agata describes Timorasso as ‘…crisp, high acid and very mineral; it will remind you of a very dry Riesling, with less sweet fruit when it is about five years of age or more. Before that, it has aromas and flavors of white flowers, unripe stone fruit, and bright citrus.’ Elisa Semino, who did her enology school thesis on the variety, makes two versions: the estate-bottled ‘Derthona’ (the old name for the nearby town of Tortona), and the single-vineyard ‘Il Montino.’ Montino is deeper, but the Derthona is an excellent introduction to the variety. Their farming is organic, the Timorasso comes from massal selection and was planted between 1997 and 2000. For Derthona the vines are located at between 270 and 300 meters (900 to 1,000 feet) above sea level. The soils include both light and dark limestone-rich clay. The juice goes through wild fermentation in steel tanks and is aged on lees for at least 10 months. On the nose the young wine shows notes of white peach, honey, acacia, hawthorn blossom, and chamomile, developing smoky and mineral notes with age. On the palate, there are savory notes that remind one of our clay soils. The fresh acidity of the wine allows it to improve in the bottle for many years. Try this and see why Italy's whites are just as good as their reds.