LE COSTE
Le Coste Rosso 2016
Lazio, Italy
Sangiovese from bush vines planted in the highest part of their ‘Le Coste’ vineyard at a density of 10,000 plants per hectare. Grapes were harvested at perfect maturity and began fermentation as mostly whole bunches, before being crushed and continuing to macerate for a further month. After pressing, the wine spent twenty months in old casks, rendering a complex, elegant wine that wows with fine tannins and delicate notes of red berries, truffle and earth.
Sangiovese
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.