I am in Chiavari, found on the Italian Riviera and best known for its chair-making, lace and silk production. However, one of my very favorite importers of wine to the US, Neil Rosenthal, represents a winemaker here named Pierluigi Lugano, and it is he, along with the Bisson Enoteca/winery, that I am here to see.
Pierluigi started Bisson in 1978, and has become one of the region’s most respected winemakers. His philosophy is based in respect for tradition and he has emerged as an advocate for indigenous, rare grape varietals, keeping them alive for future generations to enjoy. Even though we struggled to communicate with my poor Italian (he has no English), and his assistant’s broken Franglais, I found him to be tremendously kind, generous and possessing a sharp sense of humor. After a fantastic tasting in his enoteca, we walked through to the back of his store (where he actually makes his wines), and he offered to give me a tour of his vineyards. We hopped into his black Mercedes and zoomed up the main road for twenty minutes or so before pulling off the road into an impossibly steep vineyard of about ten acres where he grows his Vermentino and Ciliegiolo.
His wines are remarkable and a true testament to his dedication. Everything is made in the traditional methods by hand. Most of the wine is produced and aged in stainless steel tanks, although I did have the chance to try a Garnacha out of barrel that was truly awesome.
I really enjoyed Pierluigi’s white wines too. He makes a couple of different expressions of Vermentino. This is a grape best known from Sicily, but it has a leaner, more expressive character from Liguria with salty mineral notes, mint, lemon and then finishing with a hint of nut and almond. (We will be featuring one of these at our “farm to table” wine dinner this week at the Post House). He also makes a wine called “U Pastine” which is local dialect indicating a “very special product” – from a grape that I had never seen before called Bosco, found only in Northwestern Italy. Several parcels have been saved from extinction. The wine was broad-shouldered and fascinating to taste as well as enjoyable for its rarity.
As most of you know, I am a big fan of rosés, and Pierluigi’s, made from the Ciliegiolo grapes that I saw in the vineyards, did not disappointment. Medium bodied, dry, with an earthy dustiness, the wine completely encaptured the fragrance and feel of the place where it was grown. Facinating!
Cheers,
Patrick
