The “Colli Tortonesi” DOC zone, which remains exceedingly small in terms of total vineyard acreage, covers to the hills (colli) around Tortona, an ancient town in Piedmont’s Alessandria province, not far from Piedmont’s mountainous border with Liguria. Tortona was historically known as Derthona, or Dertona, and many Timorasso-based wines (including this one) carry that archaic name on their labels. Like so many Italian grape varieties, Timorasso effectively grows here and nowhere else; it had been practically extinct until a visionary local producer named Walter Massa resurrected it and began attracting serious critical attention in the early 2000s. 

Elisa Semino of La Colombera has been another leading light in the Timorasso revival, drawing on a relatively large collection of prime vineyards in the Colli Tortonesi. This estate bottling draws from vineyards rooted in limestone-rich clay at elevations nearing 300 meters. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel (during which the grapes are left to macerate on their skins briefly—about three hours) and aging also takes place in tank.

It’s a substantial wine on the mid-palate, with nice texture supported by a taut chord of acidity. In the glass, it’s a bright straw-yellow with hints of green at the rim, with aromas of green apple, chamomile, citrus, wildflower honey, sea salt, and green almond carrying over to the taut, medium-bodied palate. It's a crisp, unoaked white, but also one with some proper structure. Serve at 45-50 degrees in all-purpose stems and bring on the seafood!