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www.buyersandcellars.ca Cellar Profile
In a tiny northern area of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, sandwiched between Piedmont and Tuscany, sits Piacenza. It was here that Felice Salamini decided to build a small vineyard to craft fine wines from autochthonous Malvasia, Barbera and Bonarda. It was here that Luretta was born! 30 years and untold successes later, Felice’s son Lucio has taken over at the helm and the property under vine has expanded to almost 50 hectares. The philosophy of the winery is simple: stress the vines, restrict yields, use organic and biodynamic principles and craft structured, elegant wines. To that end, there is no use of fertilizers or irrigation. The vines are purposely starved of nutrients and water, with severely restricted yields to thicken skins and long hang times to ensure full phenolic ripeness. Hand-harvested and meticulously sorted, Luretta uses only Allier French oak for aging and fermentation when wood is called for.
Region
The Colli Piacentini which give the DOC its title are the hills to the south of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna’s most westerly city. These are the foothills of the northern Apennines, which run northwest to southeast through Emilia-Romagna, providing a patchwork of terroirs among their peaks and valleys. Many of the vineyards of the Colli Piacentini are planted on the rolling hills leading up to the northern slopes of the Apennine Mountains. The vineyard soils are composed of a mix of clay, marl, sand and sandstone from the Pliocene epoch.
Vineyard
The rocky soils of the Apennine hills are laced with calcareous marl, shale and pockets of limestone. The grapes are kept struggling for water, striving for better bunches and less canopy. The strong ocean breezes and the winds coming through the Apennine passes thicken the skins and aid in polyphenolic structure. Biodynamic processes, without the use of fertilizers, are followed in these single spur-cordoned vineyards.
Varieties
Pinot Noir—chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France— is grown around the world, mostly in cooler climates. The grape’s tendency to produce tightly-packed clusters makes it susceptible to several viticultural hazards involving rot that require diligent canopy management. When young, wines made from Pinot Noir tend to have red fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries and strawberries. With age, Pinot has the potential to develop more vegetal and earthy aromas that can contribute to the complexity of the wine. Thin skins and low levels of phenolic compounds lend Pinot to producing mostly lightly-coloured, medium-bodied and low-tannin wines that can often go through phases of uneven and unpredictable aging.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested, fully-ripened Pinot Noir, selected for high acid levels is crushed and briefly macerated to extract the beautiful salmon hue. After malolactic fermentation is complete, the wine is placed into glass bottles where it undergoes a secondary fermentation, sitting on its lees under crown cap for 60 long months of aging and hand riddling. Once the wine has achieved the desired level of autolysis, it is disgorged, a small dosage is applied and then it is bottled with cork and wire.
Tasting Notes
Brioche, ripe raspberry, cranberry and a mineral tang on the nose. The mousse is soft and creamy, like sea foam, with the raspberry and cranberry replaying in the mouth, along with some ripe apple and saline minerality. The acidity is prevalent, but balanced by fruit. Chill well and enjoy with a special occasion, or sip it on the patio this weekend!