LA DISTESA
Nocenzio 2019
Marche, Italy
A roughly even blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano planted over clay and limestone. The former is fermented with whole bunches, the latter as a ‘cerasuolo’, given merely the most gentle of presses to retain the grape’s delicate character and perfume. The wine ferments in old vertical barrels, before being pressed off stainless steel for a year. It is a lovely marriage of the two grapes, with bright cherries and a rustic, earthy character making for a wine of real charm.
Sangiovese, Montepulciano
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Corrado Dottori’s family has tended vines in San Michele near the town of Cupramontana in the Marche for three generations.
The rolling hills at around 320 metres above sea level, constant sunshine, firm clay-limestone soils and that all important fluctuation between temperatures day and night found here provide the perfect conditions for the growing of the Verdicchio grape.
Biodiversity is both championed and cherished, you’ll find fava beans, peas, alfalfa, wild mint and more in between the rows of vines, providing diverse surroundings in which the vines thrive and also the raw materials for the biodynamic preparations used.
Vineyard work is fantastic, with a focus on attaining pure, characterful fruit through organic viticulture and low yields.
As you would expect from such an earnest grower, the approach in the cantina is honest to say the least and the resulting wines are amongst Italy’s very best.