Peppolino is a wine that offers the winemaker the opportunity and freedom to create a truly unique wine, which is the most expressive form of winemaking. Gently handcrafted from specially selected lots, this blend of three classic central and southern Italian varietals has come together to create a wine of great structure and elegance. In the Tuscan dialect, Peppolino is the word for the herb thyme.
This is a wine of great structure. Exotic aromas of violet, spices, and notes of black licorice weave throughout the vibrant blackberry fruit and tar character. Firm tannins and velvety middle culminate in a long lasting, harmonious finish that laced with toasty oak. This wine’s complexity and depth of flavor will continue to evolve with further bottle aging.
Enjoy with grilled steaks, pasta with forest mushroom sauce and lamb chops with rosemary sauce.
Background
Peppolino is a wine that offers the winemaker the opportunity and freedom to create
a truly unique wine, which is the most expressive form of winemaking. Gently
handcrafted from specially selected lots, this blend of four classic central and
southern Italian varietals has come together to create a wine of great structure and
elegance. In the Tuscan dialect, Peppolino is the word for the herb thyme.
Vineyards
This wine was made from 40% Barbera, 20% Dolcetto, 7% Aglianico, 7%
Montepulciano, 7% Nero d’Avola, 7% Primitivo, 6% Negroamaro, and 6% Sagrantino.
All the grapes came from our Vincenzo Vineyard located in the western benchlands of
the Calpella District of Mendocino County. This vineyard has been in our family for
over 104 years and the shallow rock laden soils, ideal exposure days and cool nights,
helped produce grapes with superb balance, concentration, and fruity aromas and
flavors. The grapes were hand-harvested at an average of 25.0 degrees brix from late
September to early October 2019.
Winemaking
After crushing the grapes into small open-top stainless steel tanks, the must was cold
soaked for 4 days and pumped over and punched down twice daily for 2 weeks during
fermentation, before being pressed off into French Burgundy oak barrels (33% new).
All the grapes except the Barbera were co-fermented (meaning they were mixed
together during fermentation) which helped homogenize the aromas, flavors and
structure of the wine. After an extended aging period in barrels for 32 months, the
wine was egg white fined, rough filtered and bottled on July 22nd, 2022.
Winemaker Comments
This is a wine of great structure with a dark-purple garnet color, with exotic aromas
of violet and spices. Notes of black fruits weave throughout the vibrant blackberry
aromas and flavors. Firm tannins and a velvety middle culminate with a long lasting,
harmonious finish that is laced with toasty oak. This wine’s complexity and depth of
flavor will continue to evolve with further bottle aging
Food Pairing:
Enjoy Peppolino with grilled steaks, pasta
with forest mushroom sauce, or lamb chops
with rosemary and garlic.
Winemaking Data
Harvest
Date: September-October, 2019
Fermentation & Aging
Fermentation: 4 days of cold soak,
pumped over and punched down
twice a day for an average of 14 days
in stainless open top fermentors
Aging: 32 months in French
Burgundy barrels (33% new).
Wine
Blend: 40% Barbera, 20% Dolcetto,
7% Aglianico, 7% Montepulciano, 7%
Nero d’Avola, 7% Primitivo, 6%
Negroamaro, and 6% Sagrantino
Alcohol: 14.5%
Total Acidity: 8.4 g/L
pH: 3.24
Residual Sugar: 0.3% (dry)
