Tondonia is the jewel in the crown of Lopez de Heredia. This vineyard forms a Peninsula in the Ebro river, with perfect microclimate and alluvial and granite soils. Tondonia Reserva was aged in American oak barrels for six years, shows a wonderful garnet color with touches of orange, a tosty nose of vanilla and dry cherries, clean, direct and round in the mouth with along persistent finsh.
Two brothers, Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino, run this family estate in Monforte d’Alba. The brothers own eight hectares in the heart of the historic Bussia cru north of Monforte, one of Barolo’s most famous areas for producing wines of great longevity and finesse. The Fantino holdings are concentrated exclusively in the “Dardi” section, a hillside with perfect southern and southeastern exposure in the geographic center of Bussia.
This historic estate, holds a virtual monopoly on the appellation of Palette. Château Simone encompasses twenty hectares of vineyards that sit on limestone soils on the slopes of Montaiguet. All of the grapes are hand harvested, destemmed, lightly pressed and fermented for 15 to 20 days in small wooden vats with only wild yeast, then put into small foudre to rest on the lees. The red from Simone is an elegant wine of great depth. It is primarily composed of Grenache and Mourvedre but its special character reflects the presence of a melange other grape varieties, including Cinsault, Syrah, Carignan, Castet, Manosquin, Theoulier, Tibouren, Picpoul Noir and Muscat de Hambourg. The wine is a classic that deserves to be aged in order to best appreciate its many nuances.
Tenute Dettori is an artisanal winery intrinsically tied to its territory, Badde Nigosolu, an amphitheater of 80 acres of land at 750ft of elevation facing North-West to the Golfo dell'Asinara in Sardinia. The soil is a calcareous mix with limestone and sand. Here, wine has been made for centuries and many of Dettori vines are over a hundred years old.
Walter Massa farms local varietals of grapes in his vineyards in Monleale, in the Tortona Hills corner of Piemonte. Pertichetta is a wine made of Croatina, called also Bonarda, a wine that requires time to soften the firm tannins of the grape. This croatina is fermented with indigenous yeast and aged in botte grande for about two years. This wine has intense cranberry notes and a long finish, that remind you of black tea tannins. Perfect with charcuterie, rich meats or aged cheeses
