Great Wine: Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis

By Johannes Marlena

To be honest, I knew nothing about Arneis, a white wine grape of northern Italy, until I drank this wine. What drew me to this bottle was the name BRUNO GIACOSA. One of the most prestigious names in all of Italian wine, I figured if this producer is interested in working with the Arneis (ahr-NAYs) grape, it’s gotta be pretty cool, at least very interesting. It turns out Arneis was pretty much assumed to be a dead wine variety, but it’s seen a Lazarus-like revival come lately. And, in the hands of a master, it is, indeed, very cool and very much alive. Start with the color of the 2015 Roero Arneis—strikingly attractive, a luminescent jonquil yellow. The nose, wonderfully perfumed—jasmine, citrus blossoms, papaya. On the palate, the wine is dry but also rich in sweet honeysuckle and citrus, making a statement with the brightness of acidity and minerality—the minerality is like that of mineral water offered to you at a trendy Italian restaurant. And, for a final touch of flair, there’s a note of bitter white grapefruit rind on the scintillating finish. A very haute and fashionable Italian white wine, truly. Leans toward the edgy and daring side but never gauche and always classy and classical. I could compare the style quality of this wine to one of Italy’s great fashion brands, Dolce & Gabbana. Very, very cool wine.  –J.M.

 

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March 26, 2017