Cantina di Lana is a 200-year old estate based in the Veneto, traditionally known for its production of wool (“lana” in Italian). The estate began growing grapes in the mid-19th century and is now known for high quality table wines sourced both from their property and throughout Italy. Cantina di Lana is a tribute to the reputation that comes from being Italian-made. In the Middle ages, lana – or wool – production thrived in Italy thanks to their advanced methods and has since been known as some of the finest wool in the world. When it comes to wine, there are few places that do well-made wines quite like Italy. Just like the comfort of your Italian wool coat, Cantina di Lana reminds us that the true common thread in luxury is dependability.
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ASCH
A small family-run company that produces less than 6,000 cases of fine wine from Liguria annually, including Vermentino, Pigato and Rossese, the estate of Laura Aschero began its winemaking activities as a hobby in 1980, planting vines to the family-owned land that had formerly been used for other types of crops. Laura Aschero started the winery upon the advice of a friend who claimed that she had the perfect land for growing grapes. Since her passing in 2009, her son has continued her successful venture with great passion and dedication. The winery is based in Pontedassio, in the hills above Imperia, and its vines are situated at approximately 150 meters above sea level on year-round sun-kissed hills, enjoying the ideal temperature and terrain for cultivating vines and maturing grapes. The wine cellar, situated in an ancient palace under the Piazza del Paese, has been completely renovated and today has modern and efficient wine-producing facilities.
BERE
Bere, which means “to drink” in Italian, has long been our favorite little Super Tuscan blend and begs just that, to be drunk and enjoyed easily thanks to its rich, crushed berry fruit, earthy backbone and smooth, fresh finish. An inviting blend of Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged in used French-oak barrels, it is made from the vineyards of Tenuta Ladronaia, a property located in the craggy hills of the Upper Maremma, a wild and rustic land known for cowboys and outlaws. In fact, “Ladronaia” comes from the Italian word for “thief,” and still today, the villa of the property still hides the cavern and tunnel used for centuries by pirates as a hideout and place to stash their loot. Since the 1900s, the Tenuta has been used as a winery and farm.
BIBB
Founded in 1865, Bibbiano is located in the historic Chianti region, in the municipality of Castellina in Chianti, overlooking the Elsa Valley towards the castle of Monteriggioni. Today’s owners, Tommaso and Federico Marrocchesi Marzi, are the fifth generation. Surrounded by vast olive groves consisting of over three thousand trees, Bibbiano’s vineyards cover an area of about 25 hectares, at an altitude ranging from 270 to 300 meters, with enviable exposure and excellent microclimate. The vineyards consist of plants of Sangiovese and Sangiovese Grosso grapes as well as a smaller quantity of Colorino.
Tenuta di Bibbiano was the longest standing consultancy of famed winemaker Giulio Gambelli, also famous for his long relationships with Montevertine and Case Basse di Soldera. Their decades-long association with Gambelli, under whom Bibbiano’s current winemaker trained, still lives on in their traditional approach to winemaking and their commitment to 100%-pure Sangiovese wines. Harvest is still done manually and grapes carefully selected, with different vinification procedures according to the position of the slopes on which the grapes were grown. They are committed to replanting vineyards using wood poles and columns and by planting only autochthonous grapes. Bibbiano is committed to promoting conservative renovation of the farms, in order to not lose their architectural and human heritage and its very ancient history. The estate was certified organic in 2011.
Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi is a leading voice in the push to establish formal village appellations in Chianti Classico and is a great supporter of the new Gran Selezione category, which requires wines labeled as such to be made exclusively from estate fruit and bottled at the origin. With the 2014 vintage, Bibbiano raised their Montornello Riserva to a Gran Selezione, lowering production significantly. The Montornello, now a limited production single-vineyard Riserva, comes from the northern face of the estate where calcareous clay and stony alberese soils give the wine its distinctive acidity and red-fruited profile. Capannino continues on as a Gran Selezione Riserva, featuring the dense structure and rich, black fruits that result from these reddish-brown, clay-rich soils planted exclusively to Sangiovese Grosso. This year also sees the inaugural release of a Chianti Classico Riserva, made from exclusively from the Sangiovese da Chianti clone grown on the Montornello side of the property and selected after the very best bunches are picked for the Montornello single-vineyard bottling. Aged 18 months in 50/50 used tonneaux and cement tanks, it replaces the price point vacated by the elevation of the Montornello and offers outstanding quality for the price.
BRUNA
The story of Azienda Bruna Grimaldi is one of family tradition: people born and raised in Barolo among the hills that connect the villages of Grinzane Cavour to Serralunga, combined with a passion for wine and working the vineyards that has been handed down through the decades. The winery has grown over the years, thanks to its dedication to the great wines of the Langhe and great care in the selection of the most suitable vineyards for the production of Barolo.
Giacomo Grimaldi started to sell his grapes in 1957, then brother Giovanni Grimaldi produced their first wine in the 1960s, selling it by the liter. More recently, Giovanni’s daughter Bruna Grimaldi and her husband Franco Fiorino, the present owners, have turned the business into a modern winery, bottling their first wine in 1999. The estate she inherited included the Badarina vineyard in Serralunga from her mother’s side and some beautiful old vineyards from her father’s side in Grinzane Cavour, where the winery is located. Additionally, they purchased some choice parcels in other sites, including a parcel in the coveted Bricco Ambrogio vineyard in Roddi. Some vineyards were replanted where necessary, so that certain vineyards – particularly in Serralunga – are an average of 25 years old, whereas older vines can be found in vineyards in Grinzane Cavour, Roddi and Diano d’Alba.
The philosophy of Bruna Grimaldi is simple and relies on basic principles: the quality of a wine originates in the vineyard and is largely determined through a good green harvest. Thanks to an attentive selection of grapes, they bottle impeccable wines that faithfully represent their region. The combined knowledge of Bruna Grimaldi and Franco Fiorino, along with the contribution of accomplished agronomist Giampiero Romana, have a sole aim: to cultivate the vines in such a way as to produce important, full-bodied wines with intense aromas, which highlight the best that nature and the soil have to offer. Ten hectares produce approximately 50,000 bottles that all express the typical essence of Langa wines, from Barolo to Dolcetto, from Barbera to Nebbiolo d’Alba. The identity of the winery, Bruna Grimaldi, is clear and defined, especially through its three cru Baroli: Barolo Badarina from Serralunga, Barolo Camilla from Grinzane Cavour and Barolo Bricco Ambrogio from Roddi. The work in the vineyards is performed following traditional methods: the vines develop naturally. The spontaneous growth of weeds is kept under control through mechanical means and not by the use of any herbicides. When the grapes start to ripen, they carry out analyses on sugar content, acidity and polyphenols, in order to harvest healthy grapes at the correct ripening level, which will give a wine with distinct aromas. No chemical products are used to control grey mold or pests, nor are any systemic products. The health of the grapes is guaranteed especially by the careful selections of bunches and leaves by hand, thus ensuring the production of grapes that give rise to quality wines.
According to Bruna Grimaldi and Franco Fiorino the cellar is the place where the wine takes shape as the natural end product of a process that starts and develops in the vineyard. The cellar is located in an early twentieth-century building that has been used as a cellar since the 1950s. In recent years it has been refurbished to create the optimal conditions for winemaking. The cellar includes winemaking, ageing, storing and packaging areas, plus a stock room. Since 1999, the year of the first harvest of Barolo Badarina managed by Bruna Grimaldi, the use of technology has been reduced and the wines have been aged exclusively in large wooden barrels and tonneaux. Wines are fermented spontaneously in stainless steel and then go into wood because they believe this completes and enhances the quality of the wine, especially in the case of Barolo, Barbera and Nebbiolo d’Alba, and its proper use depends a lot on the weather conditions of the year. The wine is good when its natural characteristics are preserved!
CDVAL
This is an old estate with traditions dating back to the 18th century, but the new regime first produced a vintage in 1989. The vines now run from eight to 35 years old and are at an altitude between 250 and 500 meters. In Eastern Vinho Verde, [Casa do Valle] is located in the sub-region of Basto, which the winery calls “warmer and less humid than the rest.” They are about 75 kilometers from the ocean, surrounded by mountains and divided by the river Tâmega, thus putting estate vineyards of the Quinta on both sides of the river. With consultant Luis Duarte and Luis Botelho Cameira (of the Sousa Botelho family that owns the estate) as winemakers, Casa do Valle seems to be making interesting wines on a regular basis now.” – The Wine Advocate – Issue #230, April 2017
Casa do Valle is located near the legendary Cavez Bridge, a place often mentioned in the work of the famous Portuguese 19th-century writer Camilo Castelo Branco, and spreads out, protected by the mountain ranges of Barroso and Alvao, across the hillsides of the Tâmega River. The excellent exposure of the vines at this estate, located in the Basto sub region, along with rigorous selection in the vineyards and careful winemaking processes gives rise to wines of world-renowned quality.
Casa do Valle is the name of the manor house of the estate, which produces the Vinho Verde of the same name. Owned by the Sousa Botelho family, winemaking here dates back to the 18th century and features a mix of the ancient enforcado (tree-trained vines) and ramada (trellis) training systems for the red grapes and the modern single-wire training system for the white grapes.
The main noble grape varieties used for the white wines are the Alvarinho, Arinto, Azal and Loureiro. For red and rosé wines the grape varieties are Vinhao, the predominant red-grape variety of the Vinho Verde Region, Rabo de Ovelha, and Touriga Nacional.
With a total area of 170 ha, of which 55 hectares are under vines, Casa do Valle is one of the largest production Quintas in the Vinho Verde Region, using exclusively grapes produced at the estate.