We take great care of the land and are watchful of the vines.
We take great care of the land and are watchful of the vines. Our production is artisanal in size and scope. All of our work in vineyard and cellar is intentionally manual – we carefully prune by hand (Guyot), we pick by hand and, above all, fermentation occurs spontaneously on naturally occurring yeasts. We follow exacting organic farming methods ensuring that all of our products are organically certified. We seed clover and barley between the rows, to return vital organic matter to the soil. Roots have been forced to look for nutrition deep into the soil, and to transfer that precise character to the fruit.
During harvest and fermentation we are up at the cantina late at night and early every morning pushing down the grape skins and mixing the juice. With this process, called the follatura, we aim to obtain the best possible extraction from our grapes. Nothing is forced: if the wine needs a bit more time to naturally filter by gravity, we will simply wait the time it takes. It is the vine or the wine that will dictate timing, not the other way around. We love this way of life.
Pottarello translates into “little kid” in the Umbrian dialect. Created using Sangiovese (80%), Malvasia Nera (10%) and Colorino (10%). The Sangiovese used in our Pottarello is picked from vineyard rows 46 to 75, where our Sangiovese is particularly thin clustered and with much smaller berries than those of its more common Sangiovese siblings. Smaller berries mean more skin, which translates into more extraction of color and polyphenols.
The wine undergoes alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and remains in contact with skins for about 3 weeks. It is during this time that we perform the classic manual follatura,(mixing and stirring of juice and skin). After separation of skins, the finished wine is transferred into tonneau (500 liter/150 gallon French oak barrels), where it ages for about 12 months, before resting another 9 months in bottle.
This is a full-bodied wine, where the Sangiovese provides structure and tannin, while the Malvasia adds notes of wild berries and the Colorino just a hint of spice.
Current release 2013 vintage: 3404 bottles produced
Marmocchio translates into “rascal” in Umbrian dialect. Created from Sangiovese Grosso (80%) and Sagrantino (20%), picked and carefully selected by hand from vineyard rows 110-148. Sagrantino and Sangiovese grapes reach full maturity at different times of harvest, so the two varietals are picked independently. Alcoholic fermentation by maceration and extraction occur in stainless steel tanks over a 30 day period, when we perform the manual follatura twice a day for best extraction. After separation of skins, the finished wine is transferred into tonneau (500 liter/150 gallon French oak barrels) for 15 months before resting another 15 months in the bottle.
This is a full-bodied red wine, dark ruby red in color, with an important structure, rich tannins and hints of ripe dark berries. Marmocchio is our rebel wine where the essence of Umbria seems to be compressed in a bottle.
Current release 2012 vintage, 1587 bottles produced
2013 vintage expected release: Late 2016
Fraghino is the endearing Umbrian term for "teenage scoundrel.” It our classic wine for everyday occasions. The Freghino is made of Sangiovese (92%), Malvasia Nera (4%) and Colorino (4%) grapes. After alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine ages in french oak barrels for about 6 months, before it returns into stainless steel for another 6 months. Well balanced and medium-bodied, with wild berries and medium tannins.
Current release 2013 vintage: 5808 bottles made.