Piemonte dry white wines: Langhe Rossese Bianco

In the land of obscure Piemonte white varieties, Rossese Bianco is downright vanishing. And its obscurity is further compounded by the fact that a number of other Italian varieties carry the same, or similar, names. DNA analysis shows that Rossese Bianco is neither the same or related to any of the varieties listed below:

• Rossese di Dolceacqua (Liguria; synonym for the Provence variety Tibouren)
• Grillo (Le Spieza, Liguria)
• Ruzzesa (Le Spieza, Liguria)
• Pigato
• Rossese Bianco de San Biagio (Savona, Liguria)
• Rossese di Campochiesa (Savona, Liguria; red variety).

The foregoing notwithstanding, it is commonly held that Rossese Bianco made its way from Liguria into Piemonte in the 19th century. It was widely planted in Alba, Sinio, and Roddino in Cuneo Province but largely disappeared from the region. It was saved from extinction in the mid-1970s when the Manzone family re-discovered it on an old family vineyard in Monforte d'Alba. Since 1982 Manzone Giovanni has produced a white wine from the grape and, after many years of research and consultation with the University of Turin, a new DOC -- Langhe Rossese Bianco -- was formalized.

Rossese Bianco, according to the literature, "owes its name to an intense amber or even pinky shade on the fully ripe grape ..." The characteristics of the variety are as follows:

• Berries -- Small; spheroid; thick, very waxy, greenish-yellow skin with light-gray accents
• Bunches -- Medium-large size; medium compact; wide; conical; well-developed
• Vine -- Poor vigor and average productivity.

Today there are a total of five Langhe producers farming 2 ha of Rossese grapes. The grapes are generally fermented in stainless steel tanks except for one case where there is a mix of barrel and stainless steel vinification. The wine is generally aged for 1 year on the lees with batonnage. One producer ages in barrique, another in steel tanks, and a third in a mix of wood and stainless steel.

According to one source, Rossese "... will remind you of Vermentino but with more flesh and delicate fruit aromas and flavors (ripe citrus, nectarine) and stronger herbal nuance." A second source describes the wine as having "good alcohol" and being "fresh and lively with typical fruity notes ... full-bodied with lively acidity and good persistence on the palate."

©Wine -- Mise en abyme