Wines

A white sparkling “col fondo”-style wine from an assortment of grapes including (but not limited to) Garganega, Vespaiolo, Dorona Veneziana, Picolit, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Chardonnay, and Incrocio Manzoni, from co-planted vines averaging 80 years old. The grapes are fully mature when picked, so the wine has no trouble undergoing spontaneous primary fermentation, and a small amount of must is added to induce secondary fermentation. The wine exhibits a clean, golden yellow color with fresh savory herbs, pepper, and beautiful roundness playing off the bubbles.

This is the wine that wooed us: a savory, waxy, yellow-fruited, well-structured wine meticulously assembled from a mix of old-vine grapes from the heart of the domaine. As with the frizzante, the wine is a blend of all the various white grapes grown on the property. In 2018 (as in 2016) the fruit was so clean that Raimondo chose not to add sulfur; this is his goal for future vintages as well, as the growing season allows.

The terroir of the domaine shines through in this wine, which, unusually for the region, maxes out around 12% ABV. As with the Bianco and Bregantio, the Rosso is a field blend of all the red grape varieties grown at the domaine, including Negrara, Cabernet Savardo, Tyrolese, and Marzemino (a close cousin of Teroldego and Refosco dal Pedunculo Rosso). The nose is floral and plummy, with a freshness that reminds us of the area’s proximity to the mountains. Our allotment was a mere 60 bottles from the 2018 vintage.