Ottaviano Lambruschi, Vermentino 'Costa Marina' 2023

Liguria doesn’t have the reputation of coastal Italian wine regions like Campania, Sicily, Tuscany, Sardinia, and so on. The small area south of Piedmont is better known for plenty of other things - the beaches of the Riviera, Monet paintings, Cinque Terre, and pesto. With all that said, we tried this Ligurian vermentino recently, and it’s absolutely worth a shot.

It’s made by Fabio Lambruschi, who is still helped in the vineyard by his 93 year-old father Ottaviano, on a dramatic hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. While some vermentino can be waxy, oaky, or bitter, this is different. It’s fresh and salty, with bright citrus notes that are balanced - think Chablis - rather than the focus. For the price, you won’t find a better crisp white for the tail-end of summer.