Morei Cilindrica Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2016 1500ml Magnum

Morei means "dark" in the Trentino dialect, and the 2016 rightfully carries the name. On the nose it still comes across as closed and acid-driven, on the palate warmer and more open. A wine that should be given time and air before drinking.

The Morei site lies in Campo Rotaliano near Mezzolombardo and covers 2.5 hectares of alluvial deposit. Nearby, steeply rising rock faces block the cold north winds, store warmth during the day and radiate it back onto the vineyard at night. The soil is very stony and therefore relatively warm, dense, dark and mineral.

Teroldego, the variety that Elisabetta Foradori brought back through years of mass selection together with the University of Milan and the San Michele research center. The wine matured for eight months on the skins in tinajas, Spanish cellar amphorae with a 420-liter capacity, before moving into concrete tanks in spring 2018, where it harmonized over the summer. A third was then transferred into cilindricas, cylindrical amphorae holding 330 liters, and matured there without the skins for another year.

On the nose, pomegranate juice, cranberry, sour cherry and redcurrant, alongside elderberry juice, herbal spice, fired clay and chalky earth. The fruit then becomes juicy and dense, riper and darker than on the nose, with a sweet fruit core. The tannin is polished and round, the acidity maintains tension and liveliness while staying restrained.

Duck ragù with pasta, borscht risotto, or, for a vegetarian option, lentil salad with roasted carrots, pomegranate seeds and spiced labneh.

The estate farms 28 hectares under Demeter certification, 80 percent of it Teroldego; the Demeter logo appears on the label. Since 2013, son Emilio has been responsible for winemaking.