Le Poggere EST! EST!! EST!!! di Montefiascone DOP

Vineyard and terroir

The grapes come from vineyards around the village of Montefi. The loose soils consist mainly of pebbles and limestone, which gives the grapes a flavour that is both rich and refined. The vines average 19 years of age: not old, but long enough to have taken on the character of the terroir.

Vinification

Harvest date is set by ripeness measurements, in particular acidity and sugar levels, and usually falls between late September and mid-October. Whole bunches are gently pressed and the juice is left to settle for a couple of days. It is then moved to stainless steel tanks and fermented at 17–19 °C. The wine spends only a few days on fine lees.

Ageing

The wine ages directly in the bottle, without a period in other vessels.

Label / history

The name dates from the 12th century in Lazio. According to legend, Bishop Giovanni Defuc was travelling through Italy with Emperor Henry V. He sent his page, Martino, ahead toward Montefiascone to announce the emperor's arrival and find an inn serving good wine. Martino was to write Est! on the door of each suitable place. The wine of Montefiascone was so good that one Est! seemed too little, so he wrote it three times and added three exclamation marks after the last one.

In 2014 the label design was updated and the name of the vineyard supplying the grapes, "Le Podgere", was added to the wine's name.