Ca' Fedespina 2019
ArtisanalCa' by Podere Fedespina is an intense and enveloping Tuscan red wine made from Merlot grapes from Lunigiana, aged in French oak barrels for a total of 15 months. It has a deep and deep ruby red color and expresses a wide aromatic bouquet, scented with morello cherry, black currant, rosemary and Mediterranean scrub, musk and mineral puffs, while the mouthfeel is enveloping and silky, with a persistent savory finish.
The Ca' Fedespina is a delicious and multifaceted expression of Merlot in Italian soil, a tale of the winemaking Lunigiana. A bottle that seems made to dismantle commonplaces, like the idea that Merlot in Italy often leads to rhetorical and self-satisfied expressions, or that the winemaking Tuscany is limited to more well-known areas. The reality shows that by working with sensitivity and listening to the territory, it is possible to create peculiar expressions of grape varieties that have been locally rooted for at least a century. Since the first harvest of 2006, the approach aimed at enhancing biodiversity and intervening only where necessary and required to not distort the expressiveness of the liquids has remained unchanged, and the results are evident. A reference point for those who wish to explore a lesser-known area, but which would make more prestigious denominations pale in comparison.
The red Ca' Fedespina is obtained from pure Merlot grapes, with vines that rest on limestone soils rich in minerals. If in the vineyard the approach is aimed at respecting the natural balance and biodiversity, in the winery the same approach continues with spontaneous alcoholic fermentation and in this case maceration on the skins for 25 days. It ages for 15 months in 300-liter oak barrels.
The wine Ca' Fedespina fills the glass with its deep and compact ruby red. A nose of great intensity and richness, where descriptors abound, such as ripe plum, tomato leaf, rosemary, and underbrush. A liquid that expands in width, even on the palate where it is full and caressing, but enlivened by the consistently present saline component. A wine delicious and satisfying, which requires important gastronomic pairings to honor it at its best.