DELL’ERBA

LIGURIA

Giulia Dell’Erba is the perfect Ligurian name. This region boasts the most spontaneous herbs of any region in Europe and biodiversity is a word that doesn’t even require uttering. When you set foot into this region you are living and breathing it. In the Riviera di Ponente, which borders the French Riviera and up and around the bend from Genoa, is a humble but captivating coastline most famous for the Pigato varietal.

Giulia’s family have been growing grapes for a few generations with her grandfather being one of the first in the region to build a cellar in his garage and make a go at bottling. In fact, he traded in about 1.5 hectares of tomatoes for vines and decided to plant grapes. He planted the local Pigato and Rossese and eventually Vermentino. Giulia grew up in that “garage” with the sights and the sounds and the smells of this work. And the wine! She’s not shy about the fact that she grew up tasting from a young age, whether it was grapes on the vines or the finished juice in the tank. Wine is literally in her blood.

But Giulia’s family let her make her own choices and she went off to study landscape architecture in college. Her studies and eventual work experience gave her some unique perspective that led her back down the path she was destined for…to continue her grandfather’s dream. This perspective she credits a lot with the winemaker she has become. Her studies and work allowed her to study various ecosystems, botany and geology all of which has helped her make better decisions for her burgeoning winery.

In total the winery is tiny, with 3 hectares in total spread out through a few parcels. Her Vermentino vineyard is the heartbeat of the operation and where her skill set as a landscape architect shines as she has created easily one of the most amazing outdoor tasting venues that is so beautifully integrated into the vineyards. In fact, she holds many events, weddings, you name it here between the vines in a truly stunning, natural setting. I don’t know what can be more Ligurian than this!

What I love about the work Giulia is doing, as well as so many of my producers, is that she is always on the hunt for old, often abandoned vineyards, with old vines. Genetic material that just doesn’t exist otherwise. In fact, this was the work her grandfather strove to do as well. Her Brezza, Pigato comes from 4 different parcels in and around Albenga. Two of these sites are on the sea and the other two up in the hills that quickly take you towards the Alps. Much of this fruit is from 50+ year old vines, for example.

This part of Liguria was under the sea 250 million years ago. The hills here are full of seashells. Soils are red in much of this valley and eventually the water dried up as the tectonic plates shifted and continents formed. This area was at that time part of of the tropics, so it was very hot, thus these red soils were formed.

So wines from Ponente should be salty. Giulia also does her best to make simple expressions of both Pigato and Vermentino. The food in Liguria after all is very simple and thus she thinks her wines should match that simplicity. Giulia has achieved this simplicity in such an effortless way even though she feels the pressure of the generations before her that have paved this path. She spends a lot of time doing what she’s done since she was a kid: immersing herself in the vines, in the cellar, most of the time with a glass of wine and contemplating how she can continue to build on her grandfather’s dream. I’d say she’s on the right track and I’m so honored to be walking that path with her.

Wine bottle of Soffio from Dell'Erba

Soffio di Ponente

Varietal : Vermentino 100%

NOTES

This is a single vineyard wine from their “Ciarella” vineyard. This vineyard is about 4 miles from the sea with red clay soils typical of Albenga.

As Giulia says the food of Liguria is simple and so are her wines. So keep it simple when pairing. But the beauty of great Vermentino is its freshness so use this wine to pair alongside a fresh plate of pesto or pasta with clams.

This wine undergoes a cryo maceration upon harvest for upwards of 48 hours to extract some of the more delicate aromas of the varietal. It then ages in stainless steel with time on lees until bottling the following Spring.

Wine bottle of Brezza from Dell'Erba

Brezza

Varietal : Pigato 100%

NOTES

This wine comes from 4 different sites (all very small parcels). Two parcels are found very close to the sea and the other two sites are inland on their way to the Alps, arguably where the Grand Cru wines of Pigato are found.

This wine has the saltiness of the Vermentino but there is definitively more texture, almost like that of Grechetto. So consider pairing this wine with richer dishes from the ocean: even Lobster.

This is coming from all old vines so yields are low and fruit quality is very high. It will ferment under temp. control to maintain the lovely aromas of Pigato and eventually age, on lees, in stainless steel until it’s bottled in the Spring.

Visit Dell’Erba’s Website

(It’s in English!)

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