Here's a wine I have not had the opportunity to taste in a few years. A blend of certified organic 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Trebbiano from calcareous clay soils in the Conca d'Oro (one of Italy's best grape growing sites), the Fontodi 2020 Meriggio is all about bright freshness and brisk acidity. This easy-drinking white delivers lots of simple charm with accessible citrusy flavors, some honey, tropical tones and crushed limestone. Most (or 60%) of the wine is aged in stainless steel, and the rest goes into amphorae and tonneaux. Production is 8,000 bottles.

The 2017 Meriggio is a pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc from the heart of the Panzano in Chianti growing area. This is a fresh and luminous wine with a pretty bouquet of citrus, white peach and honeydew melon. This is a lean and crisp wine for easy-drinking moments with friends and family. Some 8,000 bottles were produced.

The 2014 Meriggio is a pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc from the heart of the Chianti Classico wine appellation. First made in 1984, Meriggio had other white grapes in the blend such as Pinot Bianco and Traminer. With time, the wine evolved into mono-variety expression with whole cluster pressing followed by partial oak fermentation for extra creaminess. The wine sees lees contact in steel tanks and the general winemaking philosophy calls for as little contact with oxygen as possible. This vintage shows higher freshness and acidity, and a bouquet that is beautifully redolent of white flower and passion fruit.

A pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc with fruit sourced at the heart of Panzano in Chianti, the 2012 Meriggio opens with a light golden color and subtle tones of exotic fruit, grapefruit, kiwi, honey and white flower. Mineral notes and crushed flint appear on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2014. Fontodi’s Giovanni Manetti has released one of the top Italian wines of 2010. His Flaccianello della Pieve (assembled from the best parcels of Sangiovese) is an expression of profound beauty and elegance. I tasted this wine early in my work for this issue and found myself returning to my note over and over again, comparing the other great wines of 2010 to Flaccianello. It became my benchmark for the vintage. Importer: Vinifera Imports; www.viniferaimports.com