2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
The Locorotondo appellation, midway between Bari and Brindisi near Puglia’s Adriatic coastline, is the antithesis to the brawny, opaque, alcoholic reds for which the heel of the boot is best known. Instead, the area produces delicate, crisp white wines from rare local grapes. In this case, Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, and a splash of the aromatic Minutolo combine to create a breezy bianco scented of lemon, straw, and fresh-picked herbs. It shines at aperitivo hour, paired with some green olives and a pastel sunset over the horizon.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 60% Verdeca, 35% Bianco d’Alessano, 5% Minutolo |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Puglia |
Producer: | I Pástini |
Winemaker: | Gianni Carparelli |
Vineyard: | Planted in 2001 |
Soil: | Red clay, limestone |
Aging: | Aged in stainless steel tanks for 5 to 6 months |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 12% |
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria IGP
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria IGP
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria IGP
I Pàstini is a small, family-run winery in the Valle d’Itria in eastern central Puglia. Founded by Gianni Carparelli and his father Donato, they grow three local white grapes, Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, and Minutolo, and the local red grape, Susumaniello, on land their ancestors worked: a beautiful limestone plateau overlooking the Adriatic Sea that is co-planted to ancient, (multi-millennia old!), olive groves.
After vinifying their wines in a neighbor’s cantina for a number of years they built their own winery and cellars, which came online in 2012. They are currently nearing the end of their organic conversion in the vineyards and will be certified organic starting with the 2019 vintage.
Puglia is Italy’s second most prolific wine-producing region (after the Veneto) and for decades was known as a source of bulk wine. But today, the heel of the boot is more than ever focused on quality, as ambitious growers seek to take advantage of the area's abundant natural riches to produce wines of character and identity. The hot, dry climate and marine influence from the long Adriatic coastline predispose Puglia to growing high-quality fruit, while a wealth of fascinating indigenous grape varieties thrive in these conditions. Changing fashion and a growing respect for the region's mostly calcareous terroirs have breathed fresh air into the Puglian wine scene, and with more than thirty distinct appellations, it is home to a tremendous variety of styles.
While the region is best known for inky, concentrated reds from grapes such as Primitivo and Negroamaro, the first KLWM Puglian imports are in fact white wines—aromatic charmers made from native varieties including Verdeca and the rare Minutolo. They hail from central Puglia’s Valle d’Itria, a plateau that shares a relatively flat topography and limestone soils with the Salento peninsula in the south. The north, in contrast, is hillier and features grapes more common to southern and central Italy including Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Trebbiano.
Puglian wines are the product of intense southern sunshine and an ancient history of viticulture. With other local specialties including olive oil and burrata, the region has enormous potential for delicious combinations.
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria IGP
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria IGP
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria
I Pástini Italy | Puglia | Valle d’Itria IGP
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria | Colline Savonesi
Sesti Italy | Tuscany | Rosso di Montalcino
Sesti Italy | Tuscany | Brunello di Montalcino
Vigne Rada Italy | Sardinia | Vermentino di Sardegna
Castagnoli Italy | Tuscany | Chianti Classico Riserva
Silvio Giamello Italy | Piedmont | Barbaresco
Castagnoli Italy | Tuscany | IGT Toscana
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312
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