Manet Community Health Center on June 9, 2022 is holding its annual fundraiser, June Bloom. https://www.manetchc.org/june-bloom/ There will be a “wine pull” with 100 bottles of wine for guests to “win” a bottle after purchasing a chance for $25. The wines described below are several of the wines that will be included in the wine pull, all with a value in excess of $25. These wines are in addition to the four wines that were subject of my blog post dated May 31,2022. https://southernitalywine.com/manet-june-bloom-june-9-2022/
Terre del Principe Societa` Agricola SRL Piancastelli 2015 made with the pallagrello nero and casavecchia grapes by the husband/wife team of Peppe Mancini and Manuela Piancastelli, the owners of Terre del Principe https://www.terredelprincipe.com/en/terre-del-principe-home/, and located in Squille a frazione of Castel Campagnano, Caserta, Campania. Manuela Piancastelli, a journalist, and Peppe Mancini, an attorney, paused their professional careers in the late 1990’s to produce wines. Wines made from the pallagrello bianco and pallagrello nero grapes, which were popular during the reign of the Bourbon kings, fell out of favor after the unification of Italy (1861) and the devastation resulting from phylloxera (late 18oo’s). Despite the lack of commercial production of the grapes, local farmers still produced small quantities of “homemade” wine from these grapes. But over time, even the “homemade” wine disappeared. However, in the mid-1990’s Peppe “rediscovered” these grapes, along with the casavecchia (“old house”) grape, which also had not bottled for commercial purpose for many years. With the assistance of another attorney, Peppe produced the first commercial bottled vintage vintage of pallagrello and casavecchia based wines in many decades. In 2003, Pepe and Manuela started Terre del Principe. Because of Peppe’s efforts to restore these grapes to prominence there are over 30 wineries in the Caserta Province of Campania that produce wines with pallagrello and casavecchia grapes.
Peppe and Manuela produce about 22,000 bottles per year. The grapes for Piancastelli are selected by hand, destemmed and crushed, maceration and pressed fermentation in stainless steel. The wine is placed in new (30%) and first passage (70%) barriques and refined in the bottle for 18 months. Their wines are EU certified organic and they are members of FIVI https://www.fivi.it/en/.
Le Vigne di Raito Azienda Agricola Agriturista Ragis Costa D’Amalfi 2015 – made with a blend of aglianico (60%) and piedirosso (40%) grapes by Le Vigne di Raito, https://www.levignediraito.com/en/home-le-vigne-di-raito/, located in Raito a frazione of Vietri sul Mare, the most eastern town on the Amalfi Coast, Salerno, Campania. The owner, Patrizia Malanga, purchased the terraced land in 2001. It took Patrizia six years before she produced her first vintage. To appreciate the difficult labor to be encountered by her workers associated with maintaining a terraced vineyard,
Patrizia, herself, planted the vineyard. The aglianico and piedirosso grapes are vinified separately in stainless steel fermentation vessels where they macerate for over 15 days under controlled temperature. Then the two wines are transferred into 500 liter French oak barrels and assembled before malolactic fermentation begins. The wine ages in the barrels for 12 months before it is bottled. After some racking procedures and without any further interventions such as clarification or filtration, Ragis continues to age in the bottle for a minimum of 12 months. The winery features a spectacular vista from its tasting patio over looking the Gulf of Salerno. Le Vigne di Raito produces less than 5,000 bottles per year. It is EU certified organic and produces natural/low intervention wines.
Azienda Agricola Laluce Le Drude Aglianico del Vulture 2013 – made with the aglianico grape, Azienda Agricola Michele Laluce https://www.vinilaluce.com/, located in Ginestra, Potenza, Basilicata. Michele Laluce, with his wife Maria and four daughters, oversees the operation of the winery. Caterina manages the finances of the winery, Maddalena, an enologist, is the wine-maker, Donatella, an agronomist operates the machinery and manages the farm animals, and Michela is studying culinary. The grapes are grown in volcanic soil near the extinct volcano Mt. Vulture. Since 1905 the Laluce family has produced wine, but only since 2001 has the wine been bottled for commercial purposes. Laluce, which produces about 40,000 bottles per year, is certified organic. Michele and Maddalena adhere to
natural winemaking. When the conditions are conducive they use exclusively natural yeasts in the fermentation process. Only 10 ppm of sulfites are added at bottling. Le Drude is fermented in stainless steel, aged for two years in oak barrels and for one to two years in the bottle before release. Le Drude was the name that the Piedmontese army gave to the courageous Brigand women of the Vulture area that fought the Piedmontese armed forces post-unification (after 1861). To honor these women Michele named his top wine Le Drude. Another historical note: the town of Ginestra was founded by a community of Albanian exiles led by the condottiere Francesco Zhura, who in 1478 after receiving land from the ruling Aragonese, started the community. The Albanian origins continue to live on in the traditions of the people of Ginestra. The town is designated as an Arbereshe’ community and features street signs written in both Italian and Arbereshe`.
Societa’ Agricola Antico Castello s.a.s. di Romano Francesco e Chiara Massale Taurasi Riserva, 2010 – made with the aglianico grape, Antico Castello https://www.anticocastello.com/?lang=en is located San Mango sul Calore, Avellino, Campania. Francesco and Chiara, brother and sister, have been charged with the responsibility of assuming the leadership of the family’s vineyards. With the assistance of their parents, they produce wines in a large newly constructed cellar capable of vinifying more than their annual production of 50,000 bottles. Francesco and Chiara lease their excess capacity to smaller local producers who do not have a cantina. Antico Castello also features a large modern tasting room overlooking the vineyard. The Taurasi is made from hand-picked grapes in early November. The wine ages in both barrique and Tonneau barrels (larger oak barrels). The farm, named after a castle destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1980, adheres to organic practices. The Romano family has produced wine for regional and international markets since 2007. In addition to wine, Antico Castello also cultivates figs, cherries and chestnuts and produces a delicious dessert wine called Amarenico. Antico Castello is a member of FIVI https://www.fivi.it/en/.
Azienda Agricola Michele Perillo Taurasi Riserva 2006 – made with the aglianico grape, Michele Perillo https://www.italydecanted.com/vineyard/perillo/ is located in Castelfranci, Avellino, Campania. Michele Perillo has five hectares of grapes, 4.8 of aglianico grapes and .2 of the white coda di volpe grapes. His grandfather planted the grapes and as is the case with many Southern Italian farmers in the past century, the grandfather sold his grapes. Michele Perillo bottled his first vintage for regional and international markets in 1999. He produces about !8,000 bottles per year. His wines have received many awards including the highest Tre Bicchieri designation from the Italian wine guide, Gambero Rosso. Only about 300 wines win this award annually. Michele is quiet and unassuming, He shuns the spotlight as he does not market his wine at dinners and tastings. He simply lets the wine do his talking. His demeanor and lack of self-promotion makes the 94 rating he received from noted wine critic Robert Parker for his Taurasi even that more remarkable. His wife Anna Romano and their sons, Felice and Nicola assist in the vineyard and the cantina, which is an oversized garage. There is no modern tasting room. Michele Perillo’s Taurasi Riserva after spontaneous fermentation and maceration spends between 18 to 24 month; half each in different type of oak; and then he blends the wine in stainless steel barrels where they will sit for up to 9 years to allow the tannins to mature (or soften) before being bottled. Michele Perillo’s wines are natural/low intervention.
Il Cancelliere Azienda Agricola Nero Ne` Taurasi 2016– made with the aglianico grape Il Cancelliere http://www.ilcancelliere.it/vini/ is located in Montemarano, Avellino, Campania. Per Raw Wine https://www.rawwine.com/ Il Cancelliere Nero Ne` Taurasi is one of a small number of wines classified as 100% natural. Raw Wine is the largest community of low intervention organic, biodynamic and natural wines, their members include growers, makers and those who love drinking them. Raw Wine describes Nero Ne ` in the vineyard as being organic/biodynamic and in the cellar there is spontaneous fermentation, no sulfites added (only sulfites in the wine are naturally occurring), it is unfined and unfiltered. There are no additives and the wine is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Il Cancelliere’s natural wine making
processes are directed by the winery founder and family patriarch, Soccorso Romano, and his son Enrico, an agronomist. Also assisting is his daughter Rita and son-in-law, Claudio Planetta. The vineyard has been in the family for multiple generations. The cantina is located in the family’s farmhouse that includes a modest tasting room. It is a no thrills operation that started bottling in 2007 and today produces between 20,000 to 25,000 bottles per year. Since there are no selected yeasts or sulfites used in the wine making process, nor any other additives, the taste of Nero Ne` varies from year to year. The wine reflects the climate and soil conditions of the year as opposed to being altered in the cellar to remove or add taste or flavors. The adage that wine is made in the vineyard, and not in the cellar holds true for Nero Ne`. If one is looking for a consistent taste from year to year, a natural wine such as Nero Ne` is not for you. Nero Ne` is full bodied intense dry wine, which you would expect from a Taurasi wine. As the wine opened (we do recommend decanting or opening the bottle 30 minutes to an hour before drinking) one may detect a variety of flavors from red fruit and mature fruit to notes of leather and licorice.
Cantine Antonio Caggiano Vigna Macchia dei Goti 2013 – made with the aglianico grape, Antonio Caggiano https://www.cantinecaggiano.it/ is located in Taurasi, Avellino, Campania. Antonio Caggiano, a colorful personality is an architect and accomplished photographer His spectacular cantina is a blending of art and wine. The cantina features a showroom of his photographs, a tasting area and cellar with thousands of bottles of wine, all located in a single modern building with a rustic style. In 1990 he returned to his family estate and started to produce wine with the assistance of renown wine consultant Luigi Moio. Antonio’s son, Pino, now manages the estate which produces approximately 155,000 bottles per year. Influenced by his wine consultant, Antonio produces his flagship Taurasi, Macchia dei Goti, in the “Bordeaux” style. After fermentation, the must is transferred to French barrique barrels for malolactic transformation and aging for 12-18 months. It is further aged in bottle for another year. Antonio Caggiano wines have won many awards over the years, including the Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso. Along with Salavatore Molettieri and Michele Perillo, Antonio is a leader of the producers, circa 1980s-1990s that decided to produce wine as opposed to selling their grapes.
Palmento Costanzo SRL Societa` Agricola Contrada Santo Spirito Etna Rosso 2016– is made with 90% nerello mascalese and 10% nerello caauccio grapes. Palmento Costanzo https://mucci.wine/vineyards-vino/palmento-costanzo/is located in Passipiciaro, Catania, Sicilia; the northern ridge of the active Mt. Etna volcano. The husband wife combination of Mimmo and Valeria Costanzo, who both originate from nearby Catania, purchased the vineyard in 2009, They are one of many new producers to the internationally acclaimed Mt. Etna wine area. Mimmo and Valeria, though new to the wine business, are traditionalists. Following historical landmark regulations, they have preserved the historical Sicilian palmento wine making process that was in disrepair when the property was acquired. Contrada Santo Spirito is made from vines over 100 years old. This is their flagship wine as the highest quality grapes are used to produce this wine. Fermentation takes place in oak barrels after which the wine is transferred to oval shape oak barrels called Ovum. The wine ages in Ovum barrels for 24 months. The shape of the Ovum allows for the natural movement of the wine. All wines are certified organic. The Costanza family, which is a leading construction and renewable energy company in Sicily and beyond, has a modern spectacular cantina with a large tasting area. Palmento Costanza has an annual production of about 75,000 bottles.
