In Italy there is a white wine that behaves like a great red. It is Timorasso: a powerful and long-lived soul hidden beneath a golden, luminous robe. We are in the Colli Tortonesi, a corner of Piedmont looking towards Liguria and Lombardy. Here the climate is influenced by sea breezes and the soils are composed of white marl and calcareous clay, giving the wine an extraordinary edge. For decades Timorasso was almost forgotten, risking extinction in favour of easier grape varieties to cultivate. Only in the 1980s, thanks to the stubbornness of a handful of local winemakers, did it begin to shine once again. Today the Derthona denomination, the ancient Roman name for Tortona, identifies wines produced from this grape variety, which have become true objects of desire for enthusiasts. Calypsos by Montalbera is made from 100% Timorasso grapes. The winery manages its vineyards with an environmentally sustainable approach, respecting the cycles of nature. After harvest, the grapes undergo gentle pressing and fermentation takes place in the traditional way. The secret of its complexity, however, lies in the resting period. The wine matures in stainless steel tanks and then ages in bottle for at least 12 to 18 months before being released onto the market. This choice preserves the purity of the fruit without allowing oak to mask its nuances. Intense straw yellow in colour, the nose is an explosion of ripe fruit, with quince and fresh almond standing out clearly. As the minutes pass, mineral notes of flint and graphite emerge, almost as if you were breathing in the scent of warm stone after rainfall. On the palate it is enveloping and harmonious. A softness that fills the mouth is immediately balanced by an almost electric salinity. The finish is extremely long, leaving lingering memories of honey and wildflowers. This is a white wine to forget in the cellar. Timorasso is a marathon runner when it comes to ageing. Thanks to its structure, it can evolve beautifully for 8 to 10 years. Over time, the fruity notes will give way to tertiary hints of hydrocarbons reminiscent of great German Rieslings. It is a wine unafraid of challenging time; indeed, it almost seems to need it in order to reveal its full character.