Aia Vecchia Toscana Vermentino 2022

Once again, Aia Vecchia has fashioned a beautiful, vivacious wine in the estate’s 2022 Aia Vecchia Vermentino. It is a sophisticated and unique blend of 95% Vermentino and 5% Viognier that offers Vermentino’s bright sun-splashed color from its season-long stretch under the Tuscan sun. Even more gratifying are the wine’s amplifying aromatics and explosive mouth-filling flavors, which suggest white peach, tangy citrus, and haunting floral tones reminiscent of acacia and spring flowers – all infused with a touch of sea spray from the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea. Fresh, precise, and laser-like in flavor, the 2022 Aia Vecchia Toscana Vermentino dances across the tongue with vivacity, leaving the mouth refreshed and the senses begging for more. With no oak, smoke, or mirrors, the 2022 Aia Vecchia Toscana Vermentino woos the palate with freshness, precision, and a racy mélange of flavors that appeal to the senses. And, once again, we all begged for more of this delectable Vermentino. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest affording this Tuscan beauty a moderate chill (40°-45° F) and a few minutes in the glass to reveal its many charms. Anticipated maturity: 2024-2026. Enjoy!

The precise, vivacious 2022 Aia Vecchia Toscana Vermentino makes a splendid aperitif as well as a welcome addition to any table. This wine’s freshness and explosive flavors have made it one of our go-to wines, with or without food. The Pellegrini family of Aia Vecchia believes their noble Tuscan Vermentino is at its best in the company of fresh seafood, salads, and poultry. We second the motion! Grilled Peach Bruschetta, consisting of grilled peaches, balsamic reduction, chèvre, arugula, and crispy prosciutto followed by Seared Sea Bass served with a mushroom risotto make splendid accompaniments. Lightly grilled octopus or calamari served with a dipping sauce and fresh spring rolls also provides ample testimony to the affinity Aia Vecchio’s Vermentino has for a variety of dishes. Cannellini bean salads, vegetable pasta dishes, and flatbread pesto pizzas with shrimp or chicken also make excellent dinner companions to Aia Vecchia’s delicious 2022 Toscana Vermentino, as do grand salads such as a tasty Salade Niçoise. Buon Appetito!

In Bolgheri along Tuscany’s Tyrrhenian coast the Pellegrini family fashions exceptional white and red wines at their estate, Aia Vecchia, which reflect Tuscany’s rich enological heritage. Founded in 1996, Aia Vecchia first came to prominence in 1998 with the release of the estate’s flagship red wine, Lagone, an elegant blend of Bordeaux varietals (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc) that received immediate critical acclaim. Subsequently, Aia Vecchia’s exceptional Vermentino (this month’s feature) burst on the scene, and in every successive vintage it has become every bit as compelling at the estate’s premier red.

Aia Vecchia’s holdings in Bolgheri and nearby Maremma enjoy distinctive terroirs, which include unique microclimates. While the region’s deep soils, natural forests, and heady brush lands known as maquis provide biodiversity, which is ideal for the cultivation of the vine, the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea provides reflective sunlight to aid in achieving physiological ripeness in the grapes. At the same time, the sea’s cooling breezes prevent the vineyards from overheating. Under the watchful eyes of the estate’s agronomist Daniel Schuster (the hand behind the world-renowned Ornellaia) and celebrated winemaker Tibor Gal, and with a variety of soils, elevations, and microclimates at their disposable, Aia Vecchia produces five distinct varietal wines: Lagone, Morellino di Scansano, and Sor Ugo from red grapes, and several Vermentinos from the region’s indigenous white varietal, in addition to a dry rosé called Solidio – all worthy of serious attention. Aia Vecchia’s 2022 Toscana Vermentino is not only the estate’s flagship Vermentino, it is also the finest Aia Vecchia Vermentino to date, as the folks at Aia Vecchia continue to push the envelope on quality, and with each successive release flows a new revelation.

Vermentino is one of Italy’s finest yet least known white grape varieties. Although not nearly as ubiquitous as Pinot Grigio, Trebbiano, Malvasia, and other fair-skinned varietals, Vermentino flourishes along Italy’s Mediterranean coastline where it produces fine, floral wines with crisp finishes. This is especially true in Tuscany and nearby Liguria, where it often takes the name Pigato. The islands of Sardinia and Corsica as well as the south of France are also excellent sources of Vermentino, though one would hardly guess that Vermentino thrives in France, as the grape is almost exclusively known as Rolle in France where it figures in many of the dry white wines of Provence. While Vermentino most often yields an aromatic, dry white wine in both Italy and France, the island of Sardinia fashions golden, unctuous Vermentinos as well as dry complex renditions.