Pelissero makes this from Riesling grown in the Langhe, the hills around Alba in southern Piedmont. It is a dry white, 12.5% alcohol, and the name Rigadin refers to the row of vines it comes from. Riesling is not native here, which is exactly what makes it worth a line on a list: the same grape that builds the great dry wines of the Rhine and Mosel turns leaner and more stony on these hills.
- Riesling, a grape more often found far to the north.
- Langhe DOC, Piedmont, northern Italy.
- 2024, a young vintage, bottled at 12.5%.
- Dry, light-bodied, high in acidity.
- 750ml.
How it is made
Langhe DOC covers a wide range of wines from the hills around Alba, and it allows both Piedmont's own grapes and a small set of others, Riesling among them. The fruit here is grown on the Rigadin parcel and picked for a dry, still white rather than anything sweeter. Fermentation and ageing are kept simple, so the grape's own aromatics are not buried under oak.
How it tastes
Green apple and lime first, then a firm, flinty mineral core that runs through to the finish. High acidity keeps it taut and light on its feet, with low tannin and no sweetness to soften the edges. The petrol note that Riesling develops shows up in the background, a signature of the grape rather than a flaw.
Good to know
Riesling is one of the few white grapes that can be made bone dry, off dry or sweet, and the label alone rarely tells you which. In Piedmont the plantings are small, so a Langhe Riesling is a rare thing to find on a list, even in Italy. It is also a grape that ages on acidity rather than sugar, and the petrol character in the glass is a mark of that.
