2022 Giacometto Bruno Erbaluce di Caluso Piedmont

Winemaker Notes: Crystalline, pale yellow color with golden-green hues. Fresh, slightly grassy aroma on impact; notes of citrus, sage, jasmine, acacia flower, green apple, white peach On the palate, distinctively saline and mineral with balanced fruit, pronounced length, and delicate aromatics.

Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG is made from 100% Erbaluce grapes. In 1977, when he was 16, Bruno convinced his father Giuseppe to vinify Erbaluce using only natural yeasts and without skin contact, which stood in stark contrast to the common approach of producers in the zone who left the must to ferment on the skins. This innovative style of Erbaluce was bright, fresh, and different from anything the winery had produced theretofore. Today, the harvested bunches are placed in ventilated crates and stored for 4-5 days at 39° F, a process known as pre-cryomaceration. These crates enable the cold air to chill all the bunches without the occurrence of condensation. Pre-cryomaceration results in wines with a fresh fruit profile that are rounder, more balanced, and notably ageworthy. It also empowers Bruno to make minimal sulfur additions. The chilled grapes are pressed in a pneumatic tank and left in contact with the skins for 12-24 hours. Afterward, the whole-berry grapes are pressed gently but continuously in order to achieve a cleaner must. Alcoholic fermentation occurs spontaneously in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks and lasts approximately four weeks. The wine is subsequently racked to stainless-steel tanks, where it remains in contact with the fine lees and undergoes occasional batonnage. Tartaric stabilization is effectuated through cold precipitation, after which the wine is bottled. The winery has been certified organic by ICEA since 2019.