Çimixà, “L’Antico”, Portofino Bianco

A true obscurity, indigenous Çimixà was on the brink of extinction in the 1970s when a local pastry chef sourced a mere 500 vines purported to be Çimixà and planted them together in a single plot. Pierluigi’s “L’Antico” (“the ancient one”) is resplendent of fruit, viscous and salty as his other whites, but it is the sumptuous mouthfeel of the Çimixà that grabs the attention first, driven by chalk minerality with a sense of heft and solidity. It is fermented and aged on its lees in large stainless steel tanks after undergoing a three-day pre-fermentation skin maceration. We should count ourselves fortunate that such a characterful variety was saved from elimination and is produced in such a boldly delicious fashion as at Bisson.