Arneis, “Anarchia,” Azienda Agricola Valdisole, Piedmont, Italy, 2017 (500 ML)

Vital Signs: Arneis, a varietal indigenous to the famous Piedmont region, is having a bit of a moment. All but extinct in the 1960’s, Arneis is now being grown in California, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as its native Italy.
Ali’s Assessment: Leave it to Italian ingenuity and resourcefulness to come up the “ripasso” style of winemaking – a method by which young wine is macerated on discarded skins from a previous pressing. In this case, after the initial maceration of the Arneis, the winemaker leaves the wine for an additional six months on the skins of pressed Mantonico Bianco (an ancient Calabrian grape). This method capitalizes on the additional flavor, tannin, and aroma of skins that would otherwise go to waste – resulting in a profoundly concentrated amber wine.