LE COSTE
Cocciuto Bianco 2021
Lazio, Italy
This highly original wine is the only maceration they make entirely in amphorae. A blend of Procanico and half a dozen local varieties from vines young and old, the grapes were destemmed and macerated on the skins for two weeks, before being pressed to five hundred litre terracotta amphorae for a year of rest. Pale, straw yellow in the glass, this achingly pure, saline wine pairs gentle scents of minerals with an almost weightless character, making for a wine of real finesse.
Procanico, Malvasia, Moscato
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clémentine Bouveron tend around 14 hectares of land, with vineyards amongst olive groves, chestnut trees, shrubs and oaks. Sat around Lago di Bolsena near Gianmarco’s childhood town of Gradoli in Lazio’s north, the soils are volcanic, rich in iron and minerals.
Vines are planted at a density of up to 10,000 plants per hectare, from a mix of massale selections and ungrafted vines. Everything is done by hand, with careful attention to the needs of each plant and while biodynamic principles are employed, the approach here goes above and beyond.
Each year they produce a dizzying number of different wines which are vinified in an ancient cellar in the village’s centre where nothing is added at any stage. To taste here is a real treat, Gianmarco is a master of élevage and a real patience in this respect results in some of the purest, most delicious wines we have tried. This is a fascinating project, where the passion and dedication of two people is single handedly putting one of Italy’s lesser known villages firmly on the map.