Sgarzon Cilindrica Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2020

A lean, clearly defined Teroldego at 12.5% ABV, drawing its power from freshness. Wild blackberry and violet sit alongside wet chalk and an almost saline minerality.

Campo Rotaliano is a valley plain wedged between peaks over three thousand meters high. Over millennia, the Noce river has deposited limestone, porphyry, and gneiss from the Dolomites here. The Sgarzon vineyard sits on dolomitic limestone. By day, the rock walls reflect sunlight back into the valley; by night, cool mountain air moves through the vines, keeping the fruit fresh.

Teroldego was once served at the Council of Trent, but mass yields ruined its reputation in the 20th century. Elisabetta Foradori took over the estate in 1984 and revived the variety through a mass selection carried out with the University of Milan and the San Michele research center. Because oak overpowered the Teroldego, the wine is aged in Spanish clay amphorae: for eight months, wine and must breathe together in the tinajas. Since 2013, Emilio Foradori has been responsible for winemaking.

Fresh and finessed, carried by juicy dark berry fruit, taut, fine-grained tannin, and lively acidity. The finish stays saline.

With braised venison ragout, roasted duck breast, and pink-roasted rack of lamb. Also with aged mountain cheese.

28 hectares of the estate are Demeter-certified, 80 percent of which is planted with Teroldego; this label also carries the Demeter logo.