2018 Cantine Lunae Bosoni Etichetta Nera Vermentino Colli di Lune DOC 750 ml

The votes are in and a winner has been crowned—this 2018 Cantine Lunae Bosoni Vermentino is the recipient of Italy’s highest vinicultural award, named Tre Bicchieri White Wine of the Year in 2020. One of the greatest Vermentinos we’ve tasted in our careers, its coiled energy and focus dazzle the palate, layering floral notes and juniper over a nuanced expression of Liguria’s extraordinary mineral soils. Meet the new gold standard for crisp Italian whites.

We first encountered this wine by chance in a cantina en route to Piedmont, and were instantly enchanted by a tension that recalled Chablis and a texture reminiscent of the finest Bordeaux Blanc. We locked down a nationwide exclusive—a bet that’s paid off big-time, as the award announcement just came at the end of last year.

Meanwhile, our pricing—and our access—stands. For now. Get your share before the rest of America’s merchants and sommeliers call dibs. Best-in-category Tre Bicchieri wines have a way of disappearing once the winners have been made public—especially at $33, 17% off the list price. Only 250 cases were imported.

Liguria is a place you almost smell before you see, and its aromatic complexity is reflected in this award-winning wine. The salinity of the ocean, the clean citrus notes of lemon trees, the rosemary and thyme bushes amidst the craggy rocks… even the bright green pesto being ground by hand with mortar and pestle in homes and restaurants. It all wafts through the air as you approach this rocky, sea-sprayed corner of the Alps and Apennines.

And it all shows up in the glass too. Winemakers here speculate Vermentino is a grape that needs the maritime climate and salt air, each wine expressing the unique herbal and geological character of its section of the coastline. Cantine Lunae Bosoni is widely recognized as the benchmark for excellence, and rarely does an effort that represents a variety’s peak of quality find its way onto the market at under $35.

Winemaker Paolo Bosoni is “regarded, among Italy’s star winemakers, as the maestro of Vermentino,” says Wine Spectator. Working the family farm since the age of 20, Bosoni’s a vocal proponent of the special elegance of Vermentino from Liguria. The Etichetta Nera project was born of an effort to show the variety’s full potential, a cuvée that only included a selection of grapes only from the top vineyards.

This Black Label, the winery’s flagship effort, hails from old vines on hillside sites featuring sandy clay soils that boost this wine’s mouthwatering acidity and intense fragrance. Only the best bunches make it into this bottle, undergoing cold maceration before pressing, (resulting in a richer, cleaner mouthfeel) following by fermentation in stainless steel tanks.

This is the 11th consecutive year this cuvée has achieved the prestigious Tre Bicchieri commendation, cementing its place in the pantheon of Italy’s greatest wines. Take advantage of our exclusive to nab this Ligurian stunner.