Fattoria Zerbina Bianco di Ceparano Romagna 2021

The transformation of a very good winery to one of the best in all of Italy is overwhelmingly the work of the uber-talented owner/winemaker Cristina Geminani. After studying in Bordeaux – under Denis Dubourdieu, she returned and transformed not just the vineyard practices at Zerbina but arguably throughout the wider Italian Sangiovese landscape.

The Gambero Rosso described it as follows: “Sometimes the impact of a winery is so positive that it enriches a whole area with its quality, consistency and continuity. This is true of Fattoria Zerbina…”

Robert Parker, himself, said “I occasionally wonder what I should write about the wines of Cristina Geminani, the owner-winemaker of this estate, one of the most talented women in Italian wine…and about the quality of the wines there is little to discuss – this is the leading estate in Emilia-Romagna, has been so for fifteen years, and it cannot be ignored.”

The 2021 Bianco is a special bottle of wine. A Tre Bicchieri award is almost always an indicator of ridiculously high quality but this wine does not disappoint. Let me start by saying that it is not an exaggeration to say that the nose is one of the most expressive I’ve ever experienced in a white Italian wine. A bevy of fruits are present on the nose – apple, pear, as well as peaches which I expect will become even more pronounced over time. On the palate – a touch of honey kisses a core of apple, peach pit, lemon all riding a ripple of saline minerality. Drink now through 2033.