If you know Giorgio Rivetti, you know he doesn’t ‘dabble.’ When he does something, he does it big, or he doesn’t do it at all! The family business began with Moscato- and he still makes the most famous- but he loved Barbaresco too. So he built a winery there and now makes some of the best. He then bought a Barolo vineyard and, naturally, built a stunning, state-of-the-art winery there too. Loved Champagne- so he bought Contratto, and is now making some of the most awesome sparkling wine in all of Italy. So it went with Tuscany. And when Giorgio decided to make Rose at his brand spanking new cantina in western Maremma, it couldn’t be just any Rose- not some pink byproduct to the production of his reds, as are many, it had to be distinguished. Dare I say the best? And, in just a few short vintages, Rivetti’s Il Rose di Casanova has become just that: One of the most exciting (and fun) pink wines we’ve ever enjoyed from Central Italy. Made half from Sangioveto and half Prugnolo Gentile (he is one of the few winemakers in Tuscany with access to both of these Sangiovese clones) grown exclusively to be harvested for the production of dry pink wine, these big reds are crushed together and then decanted off the skins after only an hour or so of skin contact. The resulting wine is more of shimmery copper hue than a full-on pink, and picks up the inherent peppery earthiness of Prugnolo and the tart cherry and pomegranate notes of its Sangioveto cousin. Just arrived this week from Italy, it’s a serious Rosato with impressive depth, beautiful acidity and even uncommon length. Bone dry, this begs for food and will challenge you to come up with dishes to make it sing even louder. It certainly has the chutzpah to handle a grilled Pizza Bianco with rosemary and sea salt or perhaps an anchovy-rich, garlicy Bagna Cauda of crudités, but, we suspect, you’ll drink most of it will alongside burgers and dogs and that’s just fine too! ***+ Arugulas and *** Hammocks on PRIMA’s scientific Rose scale.