Podere Sottoilnoce "Confine - Vecchie Viti" 2022 Rosso Frizzante di Lambrusco Emilia Romagna
Podere Sottoilnoce "Confine - Vecchie Viti" 2022 Rosso Frizzante di Lambrusco Emilia Romagna
Viticulture: Biodynamic, hand harvested and hand sorted
Fermentation: Spontaneous | wild yeasts + natural secondary fermentation in the bottle
Aging: First in ceramic, then in the bottle
Filtration: None
SO₂: < 25mg/l
"A dream under the walnut tree, red, pink and white grapes of the past co-fermented to create a tannic, cotton candy, grapefruit pith & pollen, hyperglowing and earthen wine. Here there are aromas from red, white, and who knows what color grapes. What do we need to say for you to realize this is a treasure, something that only happened because the right person was in the right place at the right time? The vineyard here is on Max’s property and has an imposing walnut tree right in the middle. Legend has it that this is a gathering place for spirits — and if you had to taste a sip from their cups of revelry, this is what would be inside.
"While he didn’t know it when he bought the property, on this land was this 60 year old vineyard, composed of between 12 and 15 different grape varieties. It was overgrown and dominated by other plants, except in the center where the large walnut tree looms and nothing grows around it. This tradition of co-planting the varieties has an agricultural background, where farmers would get the same amount of grapes even if conditions were less than ideal for white grapes or red grapes. Wine was part of the daily diet and had nutritional importance at the table.
"The wine is fermented on the skins for four days, then transferred to ceramic tanks (called clayver) to age. There is no filtration, fining, and is made with very little sulfur. Nonetheless, it is clean and fresh. It is bottled with fresh grape must and the second fermentation occurs in bottle. The wine is a dark but transparent pink color, it leaves you with a sizzling impression of tannin."
– E&R
Max Brondolo began his second career as a winemaker in the mid 2010s, buying various plots over several years to grow his estate to its current size of approximately 14 hectares. Max has been farming biodynamically since the beginning, and is committed to biodiversity – only half of the land is planted to vines; the rest is left to meadows filled with wildflowers and butterflies. Many of his vineyards are bordered by old mulberry trees, the habitat of the silkworms that once produced the region’s famous silk. Beside some of his oldest vines sits the majestic walnut tree for which the estate is named – “sotto il noce” means “under the walnut tree”.
Reviving local and almost forgotten varieties is a main focus – the Confine vineyard is a mix of several of these, including Uva Tosca, Trebbiano Toscana, Trebbiano Spolentino and Fortana, to mention a few. Additionally he grows three types of Lambrusco grapes – Grasparossa, Fioranese, and Sorbara. All grapes are vinified separately with minimal intervention prior to Max’s determination of what will go into each assemblage for that particular vintage. Minimal sulfur (no more than 15 mg/l) is added after first fermentation. The sparkling wines are made in the col fondo tradition – secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle after the addition of frozen must from the prior vintage (no added yeast), and there is no disgorgement. He also makes two still wines – Funambol, a white made from 100% Trebbiano Espagna, and Franzes, a still red Lambrusco Grasparossa (not made every year).
"We produce unfiltered “sur-lie” bottle fermented sparkling wines from 6.5 hectares of vineyards sitting in the hills south of Modena and we are driven by a deep respect for nature, tradition and sustainability. We tend 3 Lambrusco varieties, Uva Tosca and 2 very local Trebbiano. Since the beginning we have chosen the Biodynamic way, in order to achive the highest possible quality in our grapes. Cellar work consists of leading grapes from juice to wine with the smallest intervention."
– winemaker's notes
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