The Azienda Agricola Monte di Grazia was founded in 1993 to carry on those "family" vineyards and to let us enjoy the privilege of drinking excellent wines!
Almost immediately, in 1997, the winery obtained an organic certification and would continue to work as the old farmers did: using stable manure as fertilizer and copper sulfur against downy mildew and powdery mildew.
The winery is relatively young, but some of its vines are over 130 years old and are ungrafted (franc de pied); these coexist with younger plantings grafted onto wild rootstocks.
For those who may not know, in 1863 in Europe, wine growers found themselves facing an epidemic among the vines caused by a parasite imported from the United States of America: phylloxera. This microorganism was a devastating plague; finding a solution proved very difficult, and nearly thirty years were needed to eradicate the threat. The only real solution was grafting onto American rootstocks; American vines, which produced no fruit (someone will have to explain to me how they can call Zinfandel their native grape variety!), turned out to be resistant to the parasite and were therefore essential to saving European wine production. Approximately 90% of grapevines are based on this type of root, with the exception of those growing in sandy soils and other habitats inhospitable to phylloxera, whose "foot" is precisely called "franc."
The winery's vineyards are in the area of the Chiunzi pass, in the green lung of the costiera amalfitana. In this area, characterized by a great thermal range, volcanic soils, and genuine people, the Tintore di Monte di Grazia is produced.
The wine, from 2008, has a color that is still very vivid, impenetrable.
On the nose it is truly energetic, powerful – we certainly detect red fruits such as sour cherry, spices such as pepper, but what is most striking is the scent of leather and dark chocolate, and above all the incredible variety of aromas that tie this wine to the earth and, with eyes closed, transport us in imagination to the undergrowth, roots pulled from the soil, the ash of an old fire lit by some hunter to keep warm, wet grass.
On the palate it has a substantial structure, yet it is also acidic and truly very persistent; the tannin is pleasantly aggressive.
A wine to buy and keep in the cellar for a few more years to taste it at its "peak."
Congratulations to Alfonso Arpino and to the winemaker Gerardo Vernazzano for having known how to fully bring out the gifts of our land.
What do you think?
Log in to leave a comment