“…reminiscent of a top-notch Saint-Aubin.”

Master of Wine Jancis Robinson, in her book Wine Grapes compares today’s wine to the best of up-and-coming white Burgundy.

There is, however, one big distinction. The price.

Top-notch Saint-Aubin (like Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey) can fetch $160+ per bottle! Today’s wine? At small fraction of that and at under $20 it’s clocking in over 60% off!

Decades of experience, and we have never had a wine like this!!!

And for good reason – it is an incredibly rare, 100% varietal expression of a very, very obscure ancient grape called Roscetto.

You’ll want to load up on this beauty! It’s destined to be one of those wines we get bombarded with emails, texts, and DMS asking “Hey, got any more of that Lazio?!”. And sooner or later the answer will be “Sorry, it’s gone…”

When we received this wine at HQ, the first thing we noticed was the name – Famiglia Cotarella. They are the best-of-the-best of Italian winemakers. Riccardo is “one of the most influential wine personalities in the world” per Robert Parker and “one of the best in Italian winemaking” per Wine Spectator. So, in-demand he consults on over 100 wineries around the world. His co-founder, brother Renzo, for over 40 years has directed winemaking for the 600-year-old Antinori Family – crafting many, many 100-point wines in the process from their portfolio around the world.

Truly legends of wine. Together, they have more winemaking firepower than one can imagine.

Of course, we immediately popped the cork…

Bursting with tropical and stone fruits, with complex hints of floral, herbal, and nutty aromas, graced with a dash of vanilla and crushed stones – we were instantly in love! Full bodied, with the nuanced tension between its creamy texture and crisp fruit, flavors of apricot and orchard fruit melded seamlessly with hazelnut and toasty oak on the finish. Stunning – and structured to improve a further 3-5 years!

To say it is rare is an absurd understatement. Once nearly extinct, usually blended with other whites, by most estimates, there are only about 15 acres of this grape in the ENTIRE WORLD – all located in the Italian countryside north of Rome!

Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella built their reputation on the top blue-chip wines of Italy. But their real passion – reviving native regional varieties like Roscetto (also spelled Rossetto), getting them the recognition they deserve. Joined by their daughters, Enrica, Marta, and Dominga in 2017, Famiglia Cotarella makes the textbook example – literally, if you look it up in a textbook (we did), it will mention ‘Ferentano.’

Rarely do we fight over who gets to take home a bottle from HQ. Let’s just say… big fight over this one.

Moral of the story – if you are a connoisseur of rare wines, a lover of full-bodied ultra-complex whites like Chardonnay or Viognier, and/or love white Burgundy but are open to something new - stock up on this wine!

Top-notch Saint-Aubin or 8 bottles from two of the world’s best winemakers – as achingly beautiful yet so much more unique?!

We choose the latter.

93 Points – James Suckling “A tangy and fresh white with white peaches and hints of fresh herbs and citrus. Medium- to full-bodied, creamy and delicious. Some basalt and chalk undertones. Delicious finish. Made from Rossetto. Drink now.”