The 2021 Contrade SM is a varietal Grillo with a deep golden-yellow color. The bouquet evokes musky dried peaches, apricots, sweet herbs and ground ginger. It’s soft-textured, with zesty acidity and saline minerals up front that give way to vivid yellow apples and savory spice. This finishes long, dry and lightly structured, yet harmonious, displaying all the components necessary for a steady evolution, as a bitter tinge keeps the mouth watering for more. This is a fascinating Grillo that exceeds expectations. Two thousand and twenty-one is only the second vintage of Contrade SM, which hails from a vineyard planted in 2016 at 500 meters in soils of sandy calcareous marl.

Eric Guido - Vinous Media (93)