Corvinone IGT 2019

A savoury, spicy red wine at 12.5% ABV, drawing its tension from acidity and herbal spice rather than from fruit richness. The fruit stays deliberately in the background, forming the foundation for tobacco leaves, cigar box and cedarwood.

The terraced hillside sites lie in the Marano Valley at 150 to 300 metres, facing east and southeast. The soil is predominantly clay-limestone, rich in calcium, with a significant proportion of stone and rock, lending freshness and elegance. Nicola Castellani oversees the 29 hectares, while Alessandro Castellani runs the cellar. Founded in 1902, the estate has farmed organically since 2012, with native Brogna sheep grazing between the vine rows.

100% Corvinone Veronese. In good vintages, the finest Corvinone vines in the Ravazzol vineyard are selected for a few bottles of this wine, drawn from the Amarone Ravazzol selection. The grapes ferment in direct contact with stems and whole bunches in open 1000-litre wooden vats, in which the wine then ages for around 20 months.

Incisive, juicy, invigorating. The tannin stays restrained, while the pronounced, crisp acidity leads and carries the spicy, earthy and balsamic notes far. The fruit comes across as mature and secondary, with umami and herbal spice setting the tone. The long finish brings balsamic herbs, ripe fruit, coffee and dark chocolate.

Single-varietal Corvinone from the plot that otherwise supplies the Amarone Ravazzol; the vines there are 50 to 70 years old. Spontaneous fermentation with the estate's own yeasts and large wooden casks rather than barriques are part of the house's approach, which favours freshness and elegance over power and alcohol.