Frecciarossa Oltrepò Pavese Rosso, Anamari | 2019

An under-the-radar darling among sommeliers and wine critics, Giorgio Odero founded Frecciarossa in 1919 and began exporting his wines to the United States shortly after Prohibition. More than a century later, his granddaughter, Valeria Radici Odero, carries his vision forward. Frecciarossa sits in the foothills of Casteggio, in Lombardy's Oltrepò Pavese, just an hour south of Milan. On a clear day, the Alps rise in the distance. Anamari is a love letter to the native varieties of Frecciarossa. A blend of Barbera, Croatina, and Uva Rara grown in clay-limestone soils, it spends a generous 26 days on the skins before aging in 650-liter barrels. Bottled with moderate alcohol, the wine is a seamless blend of fruit and eart: layering red cherries into black ones, followed by crushed flowers, savory herbs, and damp forest floor. It’s medium-plus in size with that unmistakable Italian tang and grit that keeps you coming back for another sip. A hidden gem not only for Italian wine lovers, but for anyone searching for bottles that unmistakably speak of who they are and where they come from. Like Valeria herself, Frecciarossa is an absolute delight. ~Allegra Angelo