Ben says

★★ Great Wine Straw gold. Bitter red apple and meadow herbs lead a slightly musty nose with pear oil. At first it’s not a full fruit basket, but then you wouldn’t expect a central Italian white from local grapes to be that. It has a different kind of allure, drawing you in with curiosity. It isn’t shy, so if you were to drink it with food it would pull it’s weight nicely. The palate is fresh with orchard fruits, dried citrus, kernel and spice when chilled, with nectarine, orange peel and white peach flavours coming out as it warms. Texturally it’s gorgeous, layered and viscous with a long prickly finish that’s herby, spicy, saline and almost tropical. It’s on fine form for another year or two in the bottle, and might even edge towards thyme honey character.

Guerrieri Rizzardi '3 Cru' Amarone della Valpolicella Red Wine

KEY POINTS

Varietal Ginestra with 12.5% abv. This is a local grape to Campania and is planted widely around Naples, and it is often used in DOC Costa d’Amalfi white blends. It is said to age similarly to Riesling in that it develops petrichor like aromas, however it does not have Riesling’s biting acidity and is therefore nowhere near as long-lived.

Grown in: Colli Di Salerno, Amalfi coast, ITALY.

Food Pairing

I drank most of this bottle as late night room service on my honeymoon, taking in the balcony sea views and our private jacuzzi. So by the glass it was perfectly delicious for me. However, if I were to eat food with it – and ordinarily with a wine like this I’d prefer to – I would go with a hearty pasta dish like linguine with smoked mozzarella and courgette, or an Amalfi seafood pasta.

Disclosure & Price

Purchased at full bar price for 55€ in a hotel (tourist prices!), however I believe it retails around 20-25€ so it was a better deal than UK mark-ups. Unfortunately I don’t think you can get it in the UK yet. Circa 25€

Reviewed and tasted: 13 July 2022

Ben Franks Wine Tasting Note Producer Profile

About the Producer

Originally and still famed for its olive oils and lemons, with Rafaelle Palma once being the only producer of Colline di Salenitane PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil and offering the local fruits of the Costa d’Amalfi Limone PGI, today it also produces Amalfi wines. The estate area extends along the slopes of Mount Avvocata in the territory of Maiori, one of the most beautiful places on the entire Amalfi Coast. All of its produce is organically certified with a focus on the nature, producing grapes on the terraces that overlook the beautiful views of the Amalfi and Salerno coastlines. Raffaele Palma began this ambitious project in 2005, and the land itself stretches vertically from just 50 meters above sea level to the highest point of 450 meters above sea level. Today he is also cultivating organic honeys, adding to the array of products in Palma’s portfolio.