Bruna '‘Russeghine”
LIGURIA , ITALY | 2022
Any discussion of the great white wines of Italy must include Liguria. The lack of notoriety of the wines is from a combination of factors. Liguria isn’t a large wine production zone, mostly because its terrain along the Italian Riviera offers little farmable land. As one of the most beautiful parts of Italy, there is a lot of tourism throughout the summer, which helps deplete much of the annual production. Finally, the majority of producers in Liguria have very little wine to sell, and as such don’t have the ability to market the wines like some regions in Italy, where big producers bring notoriety because of their large marketing budgets.
Azienda Agricola Bruna produces about 3,000 cases of wine from its eight hectares of vineyards in the Arroscia Valley in Western Liguria. Bruna is known as the benchmark producer of the Pigato variety, which the family refers to as a biotype of Vermentino. The Bruna vineyards consist of 6 different plots, planted on terraces, clinging to the mountainside. The grapes are farmed organically, with each vineyard treated as an ecosphere. From planting trees, to encourage bees to thrive, Bruna believes that this balance of nature is important to the quality of the grapes.
Le Russeghine is a vineyard site that is less than a single hectare of vines, but the vines here are old (up to 50 years old), grown in iron-rich, red, rocky clay soils. This vineyard has been in the family since the 18th century. The Le Russeghine vineyard is located in the hills above the village of Ranzo Borgo to 230 meters above sea level, with a southeastern exposition. 20% of the wine ages in old, large French casks, on its lees for 8 months, with the remaining 80% freshly preserved in stainless steel tanks. The wine features depth and minerality, and all of the Mediterranean feels - ripe, fresh citrus and stone fruit, aromatic herbs and marked savoriness.
Pigato is a versatile grape varietal when it comes to food pairings. The whole vegetable garden can go alongside Pigato, including artichokes. It is also great alongside grilled fish and shellfish, as well as one of my all-time favorite dishes, rabbit braised in Pigato.