Oltretorrente Bianco Colli Tortonesi 2023

Press 4 Mix/White • December 2024 Direct Press Selection

Oltretorrente founders Chiara Penati and her husband, Michele Conoscente, spent years working at traditional wineries across Italy before settling in southeast Piedmont to establish their own organic estate. From the little town of Paderna in the Colli Tortonesi region, they work 7.5 hectares of vines on slopes so steep that much of the vineyard work is done entirely by hand.

Their Colli Tortonesi Bianco is sourced from vines with an average age of 45 years old — not bad for a delicious and affordable everyday white! Roughly one-fourth of the blend comes from Timorasso, an indigenous grape in Colli Tortonesi that nearly went extinct until Piedmontese winemaker Walter Massa revived plantings in the 1990s. The Timorasso is vinified separately, but the remainder of the blend — including Cortese, Favorita, Moscato Bianco and Moscato Giallo — is fermented together as the vines are harvested.

The 2023 vintage opens with a savory nose of scrubby herbs followed by notes of pear, quince, honeysuckle blossoms and a hint of guava. With its high acid and medium-full body, it makes a fine pairing wine — dishes based around the local specialty, tartufi bianchi (white truffles), are classic accompaniments. Kate Masters