2020 Antonella Lombardo "Pi Greco" Calabria

When you’ve been around as long as I have new things in the world of Italian wine are, well nothing new. The number of indigenous varieties that are being resurrected or remade is staggering. Yet one would think that I wouldn’t be stunned by something “new” but wow, I wasn’t ready for this. Calabria is one of the more mysterious places in the world of Italian wine and they don’t have any of the sizzle their across the Straits of Messina in Sicily. Antonella Lombardo is a name I had never heard of until yesterday but OMG you will know her now. The 2020 Pi Greco (the Pi is pronounced Pie, like the 3.14159) it is made from Greco near the town of Bianco, but that’s the Calabrian name, it is actually the same grape that Malvasia delle Lipari is made from. If you’re not familiar with that it is one of my favorite dessert wines and although I don’t drink much in the way of dessert wines this one is seductive. About now you’re thinking that the Pi Greco must be a dessert wine, you’d be wrong in fact I couldn’t tell what the grape was until I read the notes on it. This is one of the most exciting wines I have had in some time, it’s luscious, alluring, the nose is full of middle eastern spice, sandalwood. Yet it isn’t overwhelming, it lies swirling beneath the surface sort of a siren song beckoning you ever closer. Superb balance, excellent length, but a whole lot of WOW. Everyone should try this wine it is the best thing I have ever had from Calabria.