Cinzia Pelazza and Eugenio Bocchino's real home is Barolo, where they produce some of the best Nebbiolos in Piedmont. However, their hearts have also been beating for many years for the wild, dry landscape of Gallura in north-east Sardinia, which is criss-crossed by huge rocks and deep blue bays. In order to be able to travel to the island even more often and without a guilty conscience, the two of them fulfilled a long-cherished wish a few years ago and bought the small Azienda Agricola Raìca near Alzachena, which also includes a few hectares of vineyards. In addition to the local Pascale di Cagliari, a highly exciting red grape variety, the real protagonist is Vermentino, the most important white grape variety on the island and one of the most exciting and most frequently encountered varieties in the Mediterranean region.
This actually refers to the islands and the immediate coastal area rather than the mainland further inland. Vermentino is one of the few grape varieties that feels at home in the often sweltering summer heat of Italy (in addition to Sardinia, also Liguria and Tuscany) and France (Corsica and Provence) and at the same time enjoys the salty sea breezes, which can sometimes be fierce in the region.
Cinzia and Eugenio's Vermentino is rooted on a north-east facing slope in the Colli del Limbara at 550 metres above sea level. The vines are between 5 and 45 years old. The soil consists of slate and sand, the cultivation is organic, whereby the use of sprays (copper and sulphur) is reduced to a minimum due to the generally extremely dry conditions.
10% of the grapes remain in contact with their skins for 14 days, while the remaining 90% are immediately pressed and fermented spontaneously. The wine then remains in used barriques for two months before being transferred to stainless steel tanks for a further 6 months and bottled at the end of June/beginning of July.
Mediterranean herbs, salt and ripe fruit form the flavour profile. The texture is soft and creamy, the acidity restrained, but structures the wine in combination with a little tannin. The finish is warm and full-bodied and picks up on the salt and thyme flavours of the nose.
Data sheet
Grape variety: Vermentino
Vineyard: Slate & Sand
Harvest: By Hand
Fermentation: spontaneous | wild yeasts
Ageing: 2 months in used barriques, 6 months in stainless steel
Filtration: no
SO₂: < 50mg/l
Alcohol content: 13% vol.
Closure: Natural cork
Drinking temperature: 10-12 °C
Perfect drinking maturity: from now - 2028
Content and price per litre: 0.75 l/(€33.62/l)
All the winegrowers listed on Vinonudo work with compost, organic fertiliser and natural preparations in their vineyards and do not use herbicides, pesticides or artificial fertilisers.
