A deep, powerful amber wine that is all baked citrus, earth and spice. Raised entirely in terracotta amphorae, this is a wine of incredible depth and texture, with fine tannins framing ripe stone fruits, smoke and spice. Made with mostly Procanico, there is also a little Malvasia, Moscato and other local varieties in the mix. The grapes were destemmed and fermented on the skins for a fortnight, before a year of élevage in the clay vessels.
Bianco de Coccio is the only wine of Le Coste which is raised entirely in terracotta amphorae, it was made out of curiosity to see how the grapes and terroir would be expressed through these traditional clay vessels. The resulting wine showcases both purity of fruit as well as the minerality and earthiness that distinguishes the Gradoli terroir. Beautiful stuff.
Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clémentine Bouveron tend around 14 hectares of land, with vineyards amongst olive groves, chestnut trees, shrubs and oaks. Sat around Lago di Bolsena near Gianmarco's childhood town of Gradoli in Lazio's north, the soils are volcanic, rich in iron and minerals. Vines are planted at a density of up to 10,000 plants per hectare, from a mix of massale selections and ungrafted vines. Everything is done by hand, with careful attention to the needs of each plant and while biodynamic principles are employed, the approach here goes above and beyond. Each year they produce a dizzying number of different wines which are vinified in an ancient cellar in the village's centre where nothing is added at any stage. To taste here is a real treat, Gianmarco is a master of élevage and a real patience in this respect results in some of the purest, most delicious wines we have tried. This is a fascinating project, where the passion and dedication of two people is single handedly putting one of Italy's lesser known villages firmly on the map.
