A fitting tribute to an eminent artist from Dolceacqua – Mario Raimondo, known as “Barbadirame” – whose distinctive style reflects the proudly rural character of his native town, inseparably linked to vine and olive cultivation.
Region: Liguria
Appellation: Dolceacqua Superiore DOC
Grapes: 100% Rossese di Ventimiglia
Wine region: The vineyards of our growers cover the parts of the Nervia and Verbone valleys that are most suitable for vine cultivation with mainly clayey, sandy soils with a high pebble content, low levels of limestone and pH levels ranging between sub-alkaline and acidic.
Cultivation systems: Rossese is cultivated using the traditional alberello system with one spur per branch. All aspects of vine cultivation are carried out by hand due to the morphology of the terrain. Cluster thinning of about 25-30% of bunches is carried out after veraison (when the grapes become softer and change colour).
Winemaking: The hand-harvested grapes are delivered by the members of the cooperative just a few hours after the grape harvest. The grapes are soft pressed as soon as they arrive in the winery where they undergo a rigorous selection process. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature (30°C) in stainless steel vats using selected yeasts. During the maceration process (6-8 days), longer than for the classic Rossese di Dolceacqua, the wine must is carefully monitored using chemical and organoleptic tests. Must is pumped over the grape dregs and delestage racking is carried out; both processes ensure maximum colour and a full-bodied wine. Ageing and malolactic fermentation take place in second-use barriques selected specially by our oenologist at leading barrique barrel manufacturers. The wine is only bottled when it is deemed to be ready. It cannot be sold until 1 November of the year following the vintage (harvest).
Analytical parameters:
Alcohol: 14,0% vol.
Total acidity g/l: 5,10
Total Dry Extract g/l: 26,70
Tasting: Red ruby colour which tends towards garnet hues with ageing. It has a mellow, full-bodied, velvety flavour with a pleasantly astringent aftertaste. The bouquet has notes of wild strawberry, rose petals and wilted violet petals, and with ageing notes of liquorice and aromatic herbs also appear. It is an excellent accompaniment to mature cheeses, wildfowl and game, and the local speciality “goat and bean stew”.
Available ONLY for pick up, delivery or shipping in California.