Bruna Pigato “Le Russeghine" '21

Liguria is one of those Italian regions that still remains relatively unknown for its wines. It isn’t a large wine production zone, mostly because its terrain along the Italian Riviera offers little farmable land. As one of the most beautiful parts of Italy, there is a lot of tourism throughout the summer, which helps deplete much of the annual wine production. And the majority of producers in Liguria have very little wine to sell, and as such don’t have the ability to market the wines like some regions in Italy, where big producers bring notoriety because of their large marketing budgets.

Bruna, one of the iconic producers of Liguria, has been honing their craft for over 50 years. Riccardo Bruna mastered the steep terraces, carved out stone walled terraces, lined with local varietals like Pigato, Granaccia (a variant of Grenache) and Rossesse. Now his daughter, Francesca, and her husband, Roberto, are at the helm. The small estate is only 15 kilometers from the sea, a forceful influence that is not only breathtaking, but essentially captured in each wine. Bruna’s production is small and precious. Working with fewer than eight hectares of vineyards, Bruna farms organically and is the benchmark producer for Pigato.  

Le Russeghine is a vineyard site that is less than a single hectare of vines, but the vines here are old (up to 50 years old), grown in iron-rich, red, rocky clay soils. This vineyard has been in the family since the 18th century. The vineyard is located in the hills above the village of Ranzo Borgo to 230 meters above sea level, with a southeastern exposition. 

About 20% of the wine ages in old, large French casks, on its lees for 8 months, with the remaining 80% freshly preserved in stainless steel tanks. The wine features depth and minerality, and hits all the Mediterranean notes—ripe, fresh citrus and stone fruit, aromatic herbs, and marked savoriness. A perfect white wine for any time of year.