2023 Altavia Vermentino di Ponente
Let’s be brutally honest about Vermentino for a second. Ninety percent of what hits the US market is lazy, flabby,
Producer
Altavia
I have reviewed one wine from Altavia: the 2023 Altavia Vermentino di Ponente (95 points).
At the far western edge of Liguria, near the French border, Altavia works the steep, terraced vineyards of Dolceacqua. Founded in 2002, the estate focuses on native varieties, above all Rossese, alongside Vermentino and a few international grapes. The vineyards sit high on stony, calcareous soils and demand heroic manual labour, in a landscape where the Alps practically fall into the Mediterranean.
Its Rossese di Dolceacqua captures this rugged maritime terroir, with bright red fruit, savory Mediterranean herbs and a saline minerality.
The Vermentino, from the Riviera Ligure di Ponente, shows how different the grape becomes here compared with the soft, tropical versions common elsewhere. The 2023 smells of sea salt, crushed pine needles and wild coastal scrub, and on the palate it is razor-sharp and bone dry, with lemon peel, bitter green almond and a live-wire acidity that ends in a mouthwatering saline snap. It is a coastal white of real tension, made for fritto misto or raw seafood, and a fine example of Liguria’s often overlooked potential.