Bianco di Orma 2022 Vermentino Toscana IGT 750ml

Podere Orma is best known as the Bolgheri estate producing the 97-point Super Tuscan that sits between Ornellaia and Sassicaia. The Bianco di Orma is what Antonio Moretti Cuseri makes alongside those serious red wine conversations — a coastal white that celebrates the specific Vermentino character of Bolgheri's Tyrrhenian-influenced terroir with the same commitment to site expression that defines the flagship Orma program.

The 2022 growing season at Bolgheri followed a mild winter with important rainfall that prepared the vineyards well for spring. Sprouting occurred in April, pushed forward by warm temperatures — producing conditions for a Vermentino of natural fruit ripeness, aromatic freshness, and the structural balance that the estate's southeastern-facing, 80-metre altitude coastal site consistently delivers. Falstaff awarded 91 Points — two points above the 2023 vintage's 89-point recognition — noting "green apple, lemon peel and toasted almonds on the nose" and a palate that is "fresh and crisp, very straight and salty, with good draft and fine persistence."

That combination — green apple precision, toasted almond complexity, saline directness, and persistent mineral character — is the Bianco di Orma profile at its most classically expressed. The 2022 is the more tightly structured, more mineral-forward vintage: "very straight and salty" is Falstaff's specific characterization, and it distinguishes the 2022 from the 2023's slightly more open, more generous character. Both are excellent. The 2022 is the more specifically coastal of the two.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Podere Orma was established in 2005 by Antonio Moretti Cuseri — founder of Tenuta Sette Ponti in the Arezzo hills — on a 7.5-hectare Bolgheri estate positioned between Ornellaia and Sassicaia in the Castagneto Carducci commune. The estate is planted primarily to red Bordeaux varieties for the flagship Orma, with the Bianco di Orma introducing 100% Vermentino to the portfolio beginning with the 2019 vintage — the coastal Tuscan variety that the Tyrrhenian-influenced Bolgheri terroir expresses most naturally and most expressively.

The Bianco di Orma vineyard sits at 80 metres above sea level on southeastern-facing slopes, on sandy-pebbly soils from ancient marine stratification — the same well-drained, mineral-rich terrain whose geological character gives the white wine its distinctive graphite and saline qualities. Vine average age is 10 years. Production is 8,000 kilograms per hectare. The 2022 vintage's mild winter rainfall built healthy soil moisture reserves that the vines carried through the growing season, contributing to the fruit concentration and structural balance that produced the 91-point Falstaff recognition.

Vinification is entirely in stainless steel — temperature-controlled white fermentation preserving the primary citrus, floral, and mineral aromatics. Four months on lees in stainless steel adds subtle textural depth before two months of bottle aging prior to release. Bottled at 13% ABV in the luminous straw yellow with greenish reflections that are the wine's most characteristic visual signature.

Critics Reviews

Falstaff (Othmar Kiem & Simon Staffler) — 91 Points (2022) "Very pale straw yellow. On the nose green apple, lemon peel and toasted almonds. Fresh and crisp on the palate, very straight and salty, good draft and fine persistence."

Orma Estate Official Description (2022 vintage): "Bolgheri and the Tuscan Coast experienced a mild winter as usual, with rainfall and low temperatures, important factors for viticulture as they prepare the vineyards for the spring start. Sprouting occurred in April, urged on by warm temperatures. Color: clear straw yellow. Bouquet: citrusy and floral. Palate: well balanced by crispness and softness."

Podere Orma house description across vintages: "Young and fragrant, this white presents a fresh aromatic note of fruit and is distinguished by its delicate and persistent pleasantness on the palate. Luminous straw yellow with greenish reflections. Citrus and floral notes emerge on the nose where mineral elements of graphite are well inserted. In the mouth it is soft, fresh and with great balance."

Tasting Profile

Nose Very pale straw yellow with greenish reflections — the fresh, mineral character of the 2022 vintage and the stainless steel vinification immediately visible. The nose opens with the clean, precise aromatic profile that Falstaff found most immediately characteristic: green apple leads with a slightly tart, mineral freshness that is more restrained and more tightly wound than the 2023's more open tropical fruit expression. Lemon peel follows with the slightly bitter, citrus-rind quality that cuts through cleanly. Toasted almonds add the most distinctly 2022 aromatic element — a warm, slightly nutty secondary note from the lees aging that adds complexity without oak character. Mineral elements of graphite thread through — cool, slightly stony, and entirely specific to the marine-origin sandy-pebbly soils of the Bolgheri coastal strip. Citrus blossom and white flowers add delicate floral lift.

Palate Fresh, crisp, and very straight — Falstaff's "very straight and salty" characterization confirmed from the first sip as the 2022's most specific and most distinguishing palate quality. Where the 2023 shows a slightly more generous, more open fruit character, the 2022 is more linear, more tightly structured, and more decisively mineral-driven. Green apple and lemon carry through from the nose with precise, focused acidity that is the vintage's natural structural contribution. The saline throughline — the Tyrrhenian Sea's most direct coastal Bolgheri contribution — is particularly prominent in the 2022: cool, slightly briny, and providing a mineral tension that is the wine's most compelling and most specifically Bolgheri quality. Good draft — the sense of energy and direction that the straight, mineral style produces — carries the mid-palate forward. The lees aging's toasted almond quality adds subtle warmth and depth at the center. The balance of crispness and softness that the estate describes is precisely achieved.

Finish Fine and persistent — Falstaff's specific finish characterization confirmed in a close that is longer and more mineral-focused than standard stainless-fermented coastal whites typically achieve. The saline note carries the finish most persistently alongside lemon peel and a final graphite mineral quality. Clean, focused, and deeply refreshing. The finish is the 2022's most confident statement: this is a Vermentino with genuine structural definition and genuine coastal terroir expression.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Serve well-chilled at 8–9°C — the green apple, lemon peel, and coastal saline character are most vivid cold. No decanting required. The 2022's linear, tightly structured mineral profile makes it an outstanding seafood wine: oysters, grilled fish, shellfish, sushi, lobster, crab, and any coastal Italian preparation where the wine's straight, saline minerality mirrors the ingredients. The estate's own pairing recommendations — soft cheeses and fish-based dishes — are directly confirmed by the wine's structural character. Drink now for peak freshness.