Punta Crena Mataossu Col Savonesi 2021

On the Ligurian coast, the village of Varigotti is sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea and the terraced vineyards on steep hillsides that rise up behind it. Punta Crena’s Ruffino family has farmed these vineyards for over five hundred years, working with local varieties like Mataòssu that few others grow. Punta Crena’s Mataòssu vines are old—planted in 1930—and face the sea, and there’s a windswept quality to the wine. It has a spicy nose, like aromatic wild herbs and flowers, tough and stunted from the constant marine breeze. Underneath lies a hint of ripe pear. In the glass, it’s lean, bracing, and tangy—just what you want when digging into a plate of fried calamari