{"product_id":"durin-pigato-a-matetta-liguria-italy-2024","title":"Durin, Pigato, \"A Matetta\", Liguria, Italy 2024","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI spent some time in Liguria last summer with my family, and there’s a particular magic to the Ligurian coast—where steep, vertiginous terraces of vines cling to sheer slopes above the turquoise brilliance of the Mediterranean, and the scent of salt, rosemary, and wild fennel drifts on every breeze. You look up while swimming in the sea and the hills shimmer in a thousand shades of green: silvery olive groves, dark chestnut forests, and untamed brush slowly reclaiming abandoned stone terraces, their moss-covered walls dissolving back into the mountainside. These vineyards, carved by generations of hands into impossible terrain, are breathtaking…and brutally hard to work. Many locals now choose steadier lives in kitchens or factories below, leaving these ancient amphitheaters to time, ivy, and sea air. Only a rare few endure—and they are the ones who still bottle the true soul of this coast. Among the very few producers capable of capturing this is Azienda Agricola Durin, and their Pigato “A Matetta” 2024 stands as one of the most soulful and compelling Italian whites I’ve encountered. Forget what you last tasted in a Ligurian white—this is nothing like it. This is not a simple salty coastal wine, but something far more serious and resonant: layered citrus and stone fruit wrapped around a deep, savory core, with a mineral intensity that genuinely calls to mind Marisa Cuomo’s Fior di Uve and Benanti’s Pietramarina. What sets this wine apart from nearly every other Ligurian white is the age of the vines used for this cuvée—from vines planted nearly a half century ago in sandy terrace soils, whose roots now reach far beyond the surface and deep into the limestone bedrock beneath, drawing a level of umami richness and mineral depth that is profoundly rare in the region. At roughly $30, the quality here feels almost implausible.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLiguria is one of Italy’s most dramatic and least understood wine regions—a narrow, curved strip of land wedged between mountains and sea, running from just east of Nice and Monaco toward Tuscany, roughly ninety minutes south of Alba in Piedmont. The Mediterranean moderates temperatures year-round, while cooler air funnels south from Piedmont through the Arroscia and Centa river valleys, preserving freshness and acidity. Soils are poor and varied—sand, limestone, iron-rich clay—and indigenous grapes dominate. Among them, Pigato reigns supreme, believed to have arrived from Greece in the 1600s and closely related to Vermentino. Its name comes from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003epighe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the Ligurian term for the freckled spots that appear on the grape skins as they ripen.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFounded in 1939, Azienda Agricola Durin is a cornerstone of serious Ligurian viticulture. The estate farms an astonishing 259 separate vineyard parcels, most just a few rows of vines, scattered across plains and terraced hillsides around Ortovero and the upper valleys. Elevations range from 150 to 1,400 feet, and many Pigato vines average 40 years of age, with select parcels significantly older, including those used for “A Matetta.” Farming is entirely manual, harvests are done by hand, and yields are naturally low. White grapes are fermented on indigenous yeasts, malolactic conversion is allowed, and the wine is aged for several months in **tonneaux—larger oak barrels that provide gentle oxygen exchange and texture without imparting overt oak flavor—**before resting further in bottle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe resulting wine is layered, savory, and strikingly expressive, offering aromas of white peach, yellow apple core, salted orange rind, and a deep, indescribable umami quality—an echo of old vines reaching deep into limestone beneath the terraces. The palate is medium-bodied yet powerful, combining stone fruit, citrus oil, and saline minerality with a long, mouthwatering finish. Serve at 45–50°F in a Burgundy stem alongside fresh seafood, baked fish, or classic Ligurian pesto dishes. This wine is excellent now, but I anticipate it will drink incredibly well over the next three to four years if stored properly.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"North Berkeley","offers":[{"title":"750ml","offer_id":45901981941916,"sku":"CAUB2601-DURIN24PIG-750","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0694\/6937\/2572\/files\/DurinPigatoMatettaPigato2024_WEB.png?v=1767808173","url":"https:\/\/thecaubleist.com\/products\/durin-pigato-a-matetta-liguria-italy-2024","provider":"The Caubleist","version":"1.0","type":"link"}