Ancarani 'Fuoristrada'

In 1934, Claudio’s grandfather Pietro aka Delmo bought a few hectares of land near the fortress of Oriolo, in the hills of Faenza, Emilia-Romagna. He believed in protecting the land and the indigenous flora & fauna (including vines). So when Claudio took over the precious grapes and beautiful biodiversity on the land, he was serious about the task of protecting them, loving them and sharing their story. He & Rita put their passion and dedication into every single aspect of this magical place. Only native vines are grown on these slopes (Sangiovese, Uva Longanesi, Centesimino, Albana, Famoso & some Trebbiano). All the grapes are harvested and vinified using traditional techniques. Truly, they follow a philosophy that strives to protect the values of biodiversity and sustainability with minimal intervention in the cellar while still having FUN!! All that to say - they are truly amazing people and I am honored to know them. Plus they have some pretty amazing rescue dogs that I am absolutely smitten with!!

So for this little yummy is an old-is-new-again experiment - half the grapes are fermented in buried amphora (qveri) with the skins for 2-months :: the other half ferments in concrete. Then all the juice goes into concrete tank for a little getting to know all about you time plus some natural clarification (letting the sediment drop to the bottom of the barrel).  The resulting juice is aged in bottle for 4-6 months before release.

Truly this is a wine that I will struggle to not take home all the time - just enough structure from the skin contact to keep the mouthfeel voluptuous and gorgeous without being funky. Bursting with ripe lemon curd, white floral notes and a slight herbal note - there is a lovely wet rock minerality that reminds me of rain falling on hot rocks. I’m not doing it justice so you’ll have to trust me —- this is SO FREAKING GOOD!! Oh and P.S. don’t drink it too cold if you can - out of the fridge for 10-minutes was utterly stunning imo!!