Comm. G.B. BURLOTTO, Piemonte The G.B. Burlotto Winery has remained a family-run business where all phases, from growing grapes, to production and sales (the diversified production is 60,000 bottles), are now taken care of by the owner, Marina Burlotto, the Commendator's great-niece, her husband, Giuseppe Alessandria who is responsible for the vineyards and their son, Fabio, who, having acquired a degree in oenology and viticulture, introduced several modern techniques: solutions which enhance the best of old traditions and family history. Aware and proud of such an important tradition strongly rooted in the story of Barolo and the wines of the Langhe, we operate today with methodologies, which follow the modern technologies that govern agro economics and oenology. We respect the guiding spirit and intuitions which inspired the work of "il Commendatore" as much as possible. We offer wines today that reflect and exalt the peculiar terrain of the Verduno area, which has always produced wines of great balance and elegance; extremely pleasing when consumed young, yet capable, especially for the Barolo wines, of evolving harmoniously and acquiring refined intrinsic nuances with age.
La Porta Di Vertine, Chianti Classico La Porta di Vertine is a small, family owned estate in one of Chianti Classico s most famous wine counties, Gaiole. The estate follows a strict organic approach in its vineyards while focusing on Tuscany s indigenous Sangiovese grape variety. La Porta di Vertine sees Sangiovese as the true interpreter of terroir, capable of translating vineyard specific characteristics into wine. La Porta di Vertine s history begins in 2006 when Dan and Ellen Lugosch acquire the near perfect amphitheatre shaped vineyard in Vertine, a tiny ancient hamlet in the Chianti Classico area of Gaiole. The proprietors and winemaker s main interests are to explore the characteristics of Sangiovese by selecting vineyards and soils to exhault and reflect the complexity and longevity of the variety. La Porta di Vertine sees its greatest advantage in the Galestro and Alberese (shale and limestone) soils, whose high rock and stone content makes the region of Chianti Classico unique. The estate follows the unusual route of cultivating high altitude vineyards, where the application of organic viticultural methods sustain the landscape and regenerate the environment.
An enchanting landscape, dotted with ancient parish churches and villages clinging to hills, where time seems to have stopped. Here in the Montalcino zone, between the gentle slopes of Sant¹Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell¹abate, breathes the Tenuta di Collosorbo. The soils of the estate, generally of calcareous origin, slope gently downwards from 400 to 200 meters above sea level, are protected from the north winds and bathed by the clear waters of the Orcia river along the southern boundary. Toward the east, Monte Amiata rises to 1783 meters and at midday the view sweeps as far as the Maremma coast. It is a lovely setting with a favorable microclimate appreciated by the vines: a land kissed by the sun for many hours each day and at the same time protected from the cold. At Sesta, the fruits of the land mature noticeably earlier than those from the surrounding areas. The estate comprises approximately 140 hectares, of which 23 are cultivated as vineyards, 15 as olive groves and the remaining portion as sowable land, pasture and woods. The main vine cultivated historically is Sangiovese, from which Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino are derived. Still today, the working of the land is an ancient art that requires hard work and sacrifice. At the Tenuta di Collosorbo, each cultivation step is carried out with the aim of obtaining the best, richest, healthiest and ripest grapes possible so that later interventions in the cellar are limited to only those necessary: starting from clonal selection, the use of chemical substances reduced to a minimum level, manual pruning, thinning and the choice of bunches, all the way to hand-picking using small baskets.
La Mesma is a family business meticulously run by the three Rosina sisters: Paola, Francesca and Anna. Though having come from different professional backgrounds, we all share the same passion for Gavi, and it is this passion which has led us to personally assist in every step of the wine-making process, from minding the countryside and vineyards to production itself. We have put our hearts and professionalism into creating a wine which we believe can only be embedded with these unique scents and tastes here The vineyard s unique characteristics, as well as those of the local terrain, endow La Mesma Gavi with a myriad of distinctive, singular qualities. Hand-picking and careful selection ensure that only the best grapes are used and that same passionate care pervades every step of production, from harvest to soft pressing, to in bianco vinification at controlled temperatures in stainless steel vats. The resulting, limited production is distinguished by an elegant, fruity bouquet and a finely balanced, dry taste. The impact that this wine has on the senses reveals its fine qualities. An organoleptic analysis of La Mesma Gavi firstly offers us its delightful, straw colour, reinforced by the delicate aroma of fresh fruit, tapping on light notes of apricot and citrus. A subtle breath of wild flowers and aromatic herbs rounds out the delicate fragrance. This pleasantly aromatic Gavi, with its decidedly elegant finish, can develop in the bottle for several years.
The Azienda Agricola Ca la Bionda is situated in the commune of Marano di Valpolicella, in the heart of the historically classic zone of the Valpolicella. The vineyard area extends over 29 hectares of hillside land at an altitude which ranges between 150 and 300 meters above sea level and with an eastern exposure. The winery, recently renovated and restructured, was founded in 1902 by Pietro Castellani who was both a passionate and dedicated grape grower and wine-maker. The Castellani family, currently in its fourth generation, continues with the same commitment and passion the work began by Pietro more than one hundred years ago. All phases of the wine-making process, cultivation of the highest quality grapes, grape harvest, vinification, ageing and marketing are carried out directly by the family. Particular attention and care are given to the delicate process of grape drying or appassimento that is essential for the making of Recioto and Amarone, the region s greatest and most noble wines.