“Costa di Giulia” Bianco Bolgheri DOC 2024

Michele Satta | Tuscany
Michele Satta | Vigna al Cavaliere 61 | IT 57022 Loc. Castagneto Carducci

09490224 · 0,75 l · 26,65 €/l7 units available

It was very courageous when Michele Satta vinified the first Vermentino in Bolgheri in 1984 – at a time when the appellation had only just been created and white wine still seemed unthinkable in an area dominated by red wine. Costa di Giulia, named after a vineyard at the foot of Castagneto Carducci, was created as a single-varietal treasure from Vermentino until Satta made a far-reaching decision in 1997: the addition of 40 per cent Sauvignon Blanc was to give the wine more character and a more extracted, sweeter, broader finesse.

The 2024 vintage epitomises Satta's visionary conviction that Bolgheri's soils are capable of producing great white wines – richer, fruitier and longer on the palate than pure varietal wines. The grapes are harvested by hand from the last week of August to the first week of September, when they have reached their optimum aromatic ripeness. The unstemmed grapes are taken directly to the press, where a slow, gentle pressing process extracts the most elegant fractions of the must. Temperature-controlled fermentation at very low temperatures can take up to a month – vermentino in steel, Sauvignon Blanc in concrete –before the wine matures for six months on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks. Unfiltered and bottled before Easter, Costa di Giulia only develops its full expressiveness after the summer.

Pale straw yellow in the glass with greenish reflections. The nose reveals aromas of stone fruit, preserved lemon and pear, underpinned by delicate almond notes and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, it is a creamy, slender white wine with remarkable minerality – bolgheri's proximity to the sea gives it a natural saltiness that harmonises perfectly with the tropical fruitiness of guava and peach. A wine that proves Bolgheri's potential for white grape varieties with great class and longevity every year. SUPERIORE.DE

"A solid core of peach and quince underlines this rich, harmonious white wine. Accents of flowers and herbs add detail, and it finishes with a juicy, complex and savoury aftertaste." Wine Spectator

"The nose swirls with cool, delicate, saline aromas of crushed rocks, white flowers, white peach and lemon. Lemons, limes and more of that just-ripe peach element define the palate, while tree fruit and nuts join in before a finish of nutty, salty, bitter almond skin." Wine Enthusiast

"A polished and complex wine with flavours of candied citrus, herbs, angelica, restrained apricot kernels and a hint of glue. Medium-bodied, silky and structured, with refreshing, integrated acidity and a savoury finish with iodine depth." James Suckling