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2023 Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino “Vigneto Isasco”
Punta CrenaArriving in Liguria with my colleagues last June felt like stepping into technicolor after nearly two weeks of pounding the pavement along France’s fabled wine route. In place of the hallowed grands crus and formidable terroirs, we found ourselves meandering through quaint fishing villages, feasting our eyes on a vivid palette of pastel-painted dwellings and olive groves set against a glimmering cerulean sea. In one such village, perched on a hillside above the shore, sits the charming Punta Crena cantina. It is the epitome of a family-run operation, equal parts chaos and contentment. The joy is palpable—three generations, all thriving and brimming with zeal, rooted around their humble cellar in Varigotti.
Less than a mile away, the Vermentino grapes for Vigneto Isasco grow on a gravelly, red clay slope where they soak up the site’s abundant minerals, salty breezes, and Mediterranean sun. The resulting bianco evokes a pristine sense of place with delightful, almost briny salinity and crisp, citrus-scented freshness. Locals enjoy it with lumache, a Ligurian specialty of steamed snails doused in herbs and butter. For a more garden-variety pairing, marine mollusks (prepared in a similar fashion) will make for a delicious match.
—Madison H. Brown
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentino |
Appellation: | Riviera Ligure di Ponente |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Liguria |
Producer: | Punta Crena |
Winemaker: | Tommaso Ruffino & Family |
Vineyard: | 16 - 31 years, 1.5 ha |
Soil: | Red Clay, Gravel |
Aging: | Wines spend four months on the lees |
Farming: | Traditional |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2019 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore “Fulavin”
Italy | Liguria
Expect bright berry fruit with floral notes, a touch of smoke and leather, silky spice, and an earthy, mineral finish.
2022 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Italy | Liguria
This oil is light, aromatic, and flavorful—perfect for fish, salads, and other Mediterranean cuisine
2023 Pigato “Vigneto Ca da Rena”
Italy | Liguria
Supremely crisp and mineral, this is an ideal representation of this coastal region and perfect for seafood.
2018 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore “Fulavin”
Italy | Liguria
The wine offers a seductive red berry note, but also a savory balsamic element, balanced by a grippy, mineral backbone.
2023 Colline Savonesi Mataòssu “Vigneto Reiné”
Italy | Liguria
Lean, bracing, and tangy—just what you want when digging into a plate of fried calamari.
Taggiasca Pitted Olives in Oil
Italy | Liguria
The first jar feels like a special treat, but by the second or third you realize they’re a pantry staple.
2022 Lumassina
Italy | Liguria
A gently flowery, low-alcohol white that presents a barely noticeable spritz.
2023 Lumassina Frizzante
Italy | Liguria
Pair this coastal fizzy white with spicy shrimp.
2022 Pigato “Vigneto Ca da Rena”
Italy | Liguria
Supremely crisp and mineral, this is an ideal representation of this coastal region and perfect for seafood.
2022 Rossese “Vigneto Isasco”
Italy | Liguria
All the care, attentiveness, and backbreaking labor required to farm this site result in one of the most joyful and lighthearted reds you will encounter.
About The Producer
Punta Crena
About The Region
Liguria
A long, crescent-shaped sliver of mountainous coastline ranging from the French border in the west to that of Tuscany in the east, Liguria is a region of unrivaled Mediterranean charm. This applies not only to its colorful seaside villages and carefree, welcoming people, but also to the wines it produces—crisp whites and light reds designed to be quaffed with locally caught seafood.
Viticulture has thrived along these coastal hillsides since Etruscan times. Ancient stone terraces line the steep slopes all along the Riviera, many abandoned while others still host olive trees, lemon trees, and of course, the vine. What Liguria lacks in acreage, it makes up for in diversity and originality: home to numerous indigenous grape varieties, it produces wines of infectious local character.
The hallmarks of Ligurian wines are fragrant aromatics and lively freshness. Whites from grapes like Vermentino and Pigato capture the pervasive flavors of wild herbs and citrus with a sea-breeze salinity, while the rare reds from Rossese, among others, have a brightness of flavor that allows them to complement dishes from the sea or land—served with a slight chill, of course.
While Kermit’s history in the region is relatively recent, Liguria has rapidly become one of his favorite places to visit. It’s hard to blame him—enjoying a crisp, perfumed white with a platter of fried sea critters on the Mediterranean is definitely not the worst part of the job.
More from Liguria or Italy
2023 Pigato “Vigneto Ca da Rena”
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2018 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore “Fulavin”
Tenuta Anfosso Italy | Liguria
Taggiasca Pitted Olives in Oil
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2019 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore
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2022 Lumassina
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2017 Riviera Ligure Vino Bianco “Antea”
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2019 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore “Fulavin”
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2022 Pigato “Vigneto Ca da Rena”
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2022 Rossese “Vigneto Isasco”
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2022 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2019 Riviera Ligure Vino Bianco “Antea”
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2018 Riviera Ligure Vino Bianco “Antea”
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2023 Pigato “Vigneto Ca da Rena”
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2018 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore “Fulavin”
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Taggiasca Pitted Olives in Oil
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2019 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore
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2022 Lumassina
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2017 Riviera Ligure Vino Bianco “Antea”
Tenuta Anfosso Italy | Liguria
2019 Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore “Fulavin”
Tenuta Anfosso Italy | Liguria
2022 Pigato “Vigneto Ca da Rena”
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2022 Rossese “Vigneto Isasco”
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2022 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
2019 Riviera Ligure Vino Bianco “Antea”
Tenuta Anfosso Italy | Liguria
2018 Riviera Ligure Vino Bianco “Antea”
Tenuta Anfosso Italy | Liguria
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.