8.5 from De Grote Hamersma for Tenuta Santi Giacomo e Filippo BellAntonio Bianco

De Grote Hamersma on Tenuta Santi Giacomo e Filippo BellAntonio Bianco: “The Italian grape professor Bruni once crossed Verdicchio and Sauvignon. Only after 54 attempts (…) was he satisfied with the result, but by then so much so that he did not hesitate to give it his own name. And Bruscoli honours Bruni through a fresh, bitter bianco with a soft nuttiness, a hint of leafy green, ‘leaviness’ as the English so beautifully put it, and soft, refreshing juice. Apple, pear, almonds and citrus.”

A wine dedicated to Uncle Antonio, the source of inspiration for the winery.

“Brilliant and decisive, just like the wine that bears his name, everything was born with him. Antonio, our daily inspiration.” Now, if that is on the wine, it’s bound to taste good on its own—what love! And with love, everything tastes good! From a very pale straw yellow, the Tenuta Santi BellAntonio Bianco has an intense and persistent nose; it bursts with an abundance of fruit and has complex notes of citrus, tomato leaves with a hint of tropical lychee. Floral hints of chamomile and lemon, and light aged aromas. The taste is fresh and lively with an almost perfect balance between fruit and acidity. Minerality is found on the palate, with a strong flavor combined with soft sweet sensations controlled by fine acidity.

The ideal serving temperature is 14°. Perfect to accompany raw and warm appetizers, Mediterranean pasta that is not too exuberant in terms of seasoning. A sea bass in a salt crust or a beautiful Pasta Vongole. The Tenuta Santi BellAntonio Bianco is made from the Incrocio Bruni 54 grape. A somewhat strange name for a grape... this is the result of 54 times Sauvignon Blanc with Verdicchio to cross. Only then was it good, thought Uncle A Antonio. Best served around 14 degrees, so not too cold.

Incrocio Bruni 54 ??

The most interesting of their grapes is the Incrocio Bruni 54, or Bruni's Cross 54, a cross between Verdicchio and Sauvignon Blanc, made by our uncle with the surname Bruni, who tried crossing the grapes several times but ultimately declared his 54th attempt as his favorite  – he had actually tried more than 54 but this was the one he liked the most – we were also surprised that he couldn't think of a better name than this, but had no doubts about it anymore on. Definitely the best version!

By the way… The winery doesn’t use all of its grapes; in fact, the grapes they don’t use are eventually blended in a stainless steel tank and sold as bulk wine to the locals, so they can fill their jugs and bottles for their “house wine”… I tasted it too; perfectly fine, but yeah, for the neighbors, right! Too bad!