June 2025
Italy On The Seams of Summer
Bacco’s Wine Club
June 2025
As the season stretches toward solstice and the first tomatoes hang heavy on the vine, I’ve been thinking about beginnings—of summer, of meals, of meaning—and how wine can frame that threshold.
Italy, in all its layered abundance, is rarely a place of subtlety. But just off the main roads—geographically and stylistically—there’s a quieter current running. Not the headline acts of Barolo, Brunello, or Etna, but wines with a slower pulse.
This month’s selections are three such bottles, each drawn from a different seam of the country: the hills above Bologna, the sand-colored ridgelines of Roero, and the high-elevation heart of Chianti. They aren’t making big statements. But they do open up space—for food, for conversation, for long evenings where time feels elastic.
These wines don’t demand attention. They reward it.
Manaresi
‘Pignoletto Frizzante’
Colli Bolognesi
Emilia-Romagna
Italy
What it is:
Pignoletto is Bologna’s hometown grape, often (unfairly) called the “other” Prosecco. But here in the hills of Colli Bolognesi, it takes on a more serious, savory role. Think green almond, lemon zest, pear skin, and a faint whiff of yeast from its bottle fermentation.
Who makes it:
Federica Manaresi took over her family’s hillside estate in 2009, trading a career in art history for one among the vines. She farms organically on clay-limestone soils at 200–300m elevation and works exclusively with estate fruit. Her frizzante is naturally refermented in bottle—no tank tricks here—resulting in fine, gentle bubbles and just a touch of structure.
When to drink it:
Now! This is summer's first sparkle: beach picnic, porch swing, or aperitivo hour in the park.
What to pair it with:
Fried sage leaves, chickpea flatbread (like farinata or socca), mortadella sandwiches, or anything that calls for a squeeze of lemon.
Tasting prompt:
Notice the herbal edges—can you catch that fennel frond or sorrel-like lift? Does the slight creaminess play against the bubbles?
Casa Tallone
‘Roero Bianco ‘Patarun’ MGA’ 2023
Roero
Piemonte
Italy
What it is:
Made from 100% Arneis grown on sandy, mineral-rich soils across the Tanaro River from Barolo. This is Arneis with intention: ripe peach, chamomile, lemon pith, and a touch of bitter almond. It’s delicate, but not soft. Only 832 bottles were made.
Who makes it:
The Tallone brothers, Matteo and Davide, farm quietly and organically in the hills of Roero, with a special focus on single-vineyard whites like this one from the Patarun MGA—a named site with distinctive soil and elevation. Production is tiny; most work is done by hand; and the wines are bottled without makeup.
When to drink it:
Drink now through next year. This wine gets waxier and more complex with 12–18 months of age, if you’re patient.
What to pair it with:
Herbed ricotta tart, grilled shrimp with fennel, or cold poached chicken salad with stone fruit and tarragon.
Tasting prompt:
Try it at different temperatures—cool but not cold. Does the stone fruit show more with time in glass? Any white tea or marzipan notes?
Tenuta di Carleone
‘Chianti Classico’ 2022
Radda in Chianti,
Tuscany
Italy
What it is:
Bright, expressive Sangiovese from one of Chianti Classico’s coolest subzones. Radda sits high in the hills, and that altitude brings snap and clarity to this wine’s red cherry, dried herbs, and dusty minerality. It’s the rare summer red that doesn’t need chilling to feel refreshing.
Who makes it:
Founded in 2012 by Austrian Karl Egger and British-born winemaker Sean O’Callaghan (formerly of Riecine), Carleone is one of the most exciting estates in modern Tuscany. O’Callaghan—nicknamed Il Guercio for his signature eye patch—ferments in concrete and old oak, using native yeast and partial whole cluster. The result: Sangiovese with soul and levity.
When to drink it:
Perfect now, but structured enough to age 5+ years. Try it slightly chilled (around 60°F) if it’s hot out.
What to pair it with:
Grilled sausages with rosemary, white bean salad, charred eggplant, or anything tomato-based that isn’t too sweet.
Tasting prompt:
Notice the fine-grained tannins and the slightly citrusy edge on the finish—like blood orange zest. Let it breathe and see what herbal or forest-floor notes emerge.
In Sum
None of these wines are declarations. They are gestures—graceful, grounded, and meant for the threshold moments. The hour before dinner. The first outdoor meal of the season. The day when time feels elastic and you lose track of where one conversation ends and another begins.
Drink them soon, while the light still lingers.