Description
Luigi Ferrando, Erbaluce di Caluso “La Torrazza”
Founded in 1890 in the town of Ivrea, north of Turin, the Luigi Ferrando winery isn’t merely a Piedmontese benchmark but an all-Italy hall-of-famer, and their wines not only showcase the mineral-rich glacial soils of their home region but the amazing versatility of the Erbaluce variety: In addition to crisp, Chablis-inspired dry whites like this “Torrazza,” there are also sparklers to rival Champagne and sweet styles to rival Sauternes and Côteaux du Layon. Thanks mostly to Ferrando, the grape’s renown extends well beyond the few provinces in Northern Piedmont in which it is grown, and in “Torrazza,” we have one of the most outstanding white wine values in all of Italy. Here is an Italian white of impeccable balance, profound minerality, taut structure, and immense pleasure.
The wine is vinified and aged in stainless steel, and spends about eight months aging on its lees before bottling. This 2021 captures the mineral, floral essence of dry Erbaluce perfectly, while also tacking on a layer of mid-palate richness not always found in Alpine whites. Although Erbaluce grapes take on an almost amber hue when ripe, the wine is a star-bright yellow-gold with green highlights, with aromas of green apple, apricot, white flowers, cut grass, green herbs, citrus peel, and wet stones. It is medium-bodied, mineral, and racy, reminiscent of everything from Loire Valley Chenin to Jacquère from Savoie to village-level Chablis.
