San Ferdinando Vermentino

The Grifoni family farms in the Val di Chiana near Civitella, up in the Chianti Colli Aretini country southeast of Florence, at around 300 meters. The estate has been in the family since the mid-1800s and was revived and converted to organic farming in 2008. This is a continental take on a grape most people know from the coast. Ripening is slower here, so the wine comes in with lower alcohol and noticeably higher acidity than its seaside cousins. It is 100% Vermentino, fermented in stainless and left on its lees for the better part of a year, unfiltered, which trades some of the upfront primary fruit for savory depth. The result is taut and mineral, with citrus, white flowers, Mediterranean herbs, and a long, salty finish. It shows a side of Vermentino most drinkers never meet.