LE COSTE
Pinotto 2019
Lazio, Italy
From two young plots of Pinot Noir planted some 470 metres above sea level, planted with massale selections from both their ‘PNT’ vineyard and their friend Yann Durieux in Burgundy, blended with a touch of Syrah. The grapes were fermented carbonically for a month before a year of ageing in old casks. Almost weightless on the palate, this is a delicate, nuanced wine with gentle flavours of black fruit, earth and spice.
Pinot Noir
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.