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2014 Valtènesi “La Botte Piena”

La Basia
Discount Eligible $16.00
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The local Groppello grape stars in this delightful, quaffable red from the shores of Lake Garda. Beyond being a lot of fun to say, Groppello offers a light-bodied frame and energetic, bright fruit flavors that provide the elemental pleasure we seek in wine. Giacomo Tincani, the current winemaker at La Basia, concisely summarizes this Groppello-based blend as “Mediterranean flavors on a mountain structure.” Notes of wild herbs and shrubbery mingle with fresh, ripe, dark fruits over soft and cozy tannins, lifted by a bright acidity. A bargain everyday quaffer from an unheralded region, this wine is also exceptionally versatile at table. At the estate, it was served alongside fettuccine tossed with fragrant porcini mushrooms and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, but this is truly a vino da tutto pasto: a red you can pop open for whatever reason you damn want. –Anthony Lynch

Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2014
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: 80% Groppello, 10% Barbera, 5% Sangiovese, 5% Marzemino
Appellation: Valtènesi DOC
Country: Italy
Region: Lombardy
Producer: La Basia
Winemaker: Giacomo Tincani
Vineyard: 15 – 50 years, 3 ha
Soil: Moraine, with sandy clay
Aging: Maceration lasts 6 days, then wine is aged for 9 months in stainless steel tanks, and aged in bottle for at least 3 months
Farming: Sustainable
Alcohol: 13%

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About The Region

Lombardy

map of Lombardy

Italy’s most populous region and the home of its most influential wine critic, the late Luigi Veronelli of Milan, Lombardia holds its share of enological secrets. Dominated by the vast expanses of the Po Valley, the region encompasses Alpine peaks in the north, along the Swiss border, as well as Apennine foothills in its southwest where viticulture plays a major role.

The metodo classico sparklers of Franciacorta, plus Oltrepò Pavese’s still and sparkling wines, enjoy the most renown, yet Lombardia’s richness of different soils and microclimates mean there is much more for the curious palate. The Alpine Nebbiolos of Valtellina are certainly of note, while the region’s picturesque lakes (Maggiore, Como, and Garda, to name a few) provide a moderating effect on climate favorable to high-quality wine production.

The southern shores of Lake Garda in particular boast a number of interesting wine zones. Indigenous grapes like Groppello and Marzemino thrive in these soils of glacial deposit, creating unique reds (plus the ubiquitous Chiaretto rosé) from the Garda and Valtènesi DOCs. The wines of our first and only Lombardia producer, La Basia, are delicious representations of this middle ground between plains and mountains, and perfectly complement the region’s famous cheeses and other local specialties.

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Old wine bottles

Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.

Inspiring Thirst, page 236