The Italy Wine Project

Regions / Piedmont

DOCGStill huntingModerate

Erbaluce di Caluso (Caluso) DOCG

A high-acid white from a grape grown almost nowhere else, trained on pergolas over glacial gravel. Dry versions are lean and steely: green apple, citrus pith, wild herbs and a chalky, almost saline finish, with acidity that keeps them alive for a decade. Traditional-method sparkling is sharp and appley; the Passito, dried on mats, is amber, honeyed and nutty and was the region's historic pride. Ferrando is the name to know.

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Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Ferrando
Erbaluce di Caluso 'La Torrazza'
Kermit Lynch import, the classic dry Erbaluce: green apple, lime, wet stone, bracing acid.
$22 to $28Wine-Searcher
Favaro
Erbaluce di Caluso 'Le Chiusure'
Small Piverone estate with a richer, more textured style, some lees work, found at Astor and Chambers Street.
$22 to $30Wine-Searcher
Cieck
Erbaluce di Caluso Passito 'Alladium'
Dried-grape version, apricot, honey and roasted nuts with acidity that stops it cloying; limited US listings.
$35 to $50Wine-Searcher