La Spinetta 2024 Derthona Timorasso, Colli Tortonesi Piedmont

The charismatic Giorgio Rivetti has created an empire which not only includes Moscato d’Asti, Barbaresco, Barolo and Barbera from his home in Piedmont, but has ventured into Tuscany to make celebrated Vermentino and Sangiovese.  Never content to stay pat, Giorgio has found a vineyard with an indigenous white grape called Timarosso and has created a wonderful wine from it.  The Timorasso grape, near extinction when it was revived in the 1980s and 1990s, has become another Arneis, another exciting Italian wine origin story.  It’s a floral and fruity white, with a fresh apple-like pith.  Nobody knows this grape, and you will make many friends serving this sensibly priced beauty.  "The 2024 Timorasso is a very pretty, elegant wine. Lemon confit, white flowers, almond and light tropical notes are beautifully woven together. Floral, saline and petrol notes lift the finish, adding layers of nuance. This is a decidedly delicate Timorasso. It’s a style that works quite well."--Vinous