About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The fruit comes from estate vineyards northeast of Verona, on the hill separating Montorio from Valle d’Illasi. The vineyard area comprises 20 hectares under Guyot and 5 hectares under traditional Pergola Veronese. The vines were planted between 1995 and 2022 in calcareous soils with red clay and tuff. Yield is restricted to 1 kg per vine.
Grapes
70% Corvina and Corvinone, 10% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta, 7% Croatina and 3% other varieties.
Vinification
The wine was conceived as a natural, traditional interpretation of Amarone. It begins with rigorous grape selection. After 100 days of drying, four or five people conduct a second selection at crushing and discard any fruit that is not perfectly healthy. The grapes are softly crushed by foot, retaining the dried stems to contribute additional tannin. Indigenous yeasts conduct fermentation in a conical oak vat at uncontrolled temperature. Manual punch-downs take place daily until the fermentation naturally slows after several months. The finished wine is neither filtered nor clarified.
Ageing
At least three years in a 700 L untoasted oak barrel. Its staves were bent with steam to avoid the influence of toasting. The barrel is washed only twice during the three-year maturation.
Technical data
Alcohol: 16.55% vol. Total acidity: 7.30 g/L. pH: 3.44. Residual sugar: 8.50 g/L. Dry extract: 39.80 g/L.
Vintage notes
Winter and spring in 2016 were very regular. Summer was moderately warm, with gentle rain arriving at well-spaced and beneficial moments. This exceptional seasonal balance produced what was considered one of the finest wines made at the estate.
