Full Circle at Conestabile della Staffa

By now our beloved winemaking guru, Danilo Marcucci, should need little introduction. For over 2 decades Danilo has been a guiding light, often from behind the scenes, to small-scale, inspired families looking to make wines that reflect a sense of place and embody holistic, natural agriculture and winemaking practices. Danilo has also been a close friend and collaborator of ours and is truly a member of our extended family (he is quite literally the Godfather of my daughter, Ottavia!)

The Conestabile della Staffa property is historic, dating back as a communal winery through the 18th century, and as part of Danilo's wife, Alessandra Conestabille della Staffa’s family for generations. Those who have visited may have seen the amazing family tree that showcases Alessandra's historic roots in the area of Lake Trasimeno in northern Umbria.

In 2015 Danilo and Alessandra sparked new life into what was essentially a mothballed centuries old winery. Danilo worked for 3+ years to rehabilitate old parcels of the vineyards, refurbish the old tobacco drying stalls into a humble but sizable cantina and set about to create the first wines from the property in over 50 years.

Needless to say, we were excited. The wines Danilo crafted from the outset had a fullness and depth that inspired us. He felt a sense of obligation to the history and tradition to make wines in a very "old world" style from the La Staffa property... essentially paying homage to his family and showing respect to the place and people before him. 

Yet being ever the dynamic natural wine wizard that he is, Danilo also felt a sense of freedom to experiment...re-envision the tradition of the area and craft wines that were playful and whimsical (pet-nat rosato from historic cabernet franc vines, semi-carbonic Gamay del Trasimeno, 10% sangiovese that was light as air, etc.). Needless to say, wines like this found great success, especially as the natural wine scene was budding in the US and elsewhere around the world.

In many ways these modern, less traditional wines, helped to bring new attention to the winery and Danilo's craft...but in the background Danilo always continued to make a handful of quite "traditional' wines using longer macerations, classic basket pressing and large format old oak barrels and cement tanks. For me personally, these were the wines that always spoke to me. No matter where in the world I drank them they always brought me right back to Umbria...right back to the land, family and harvest of that vintage.

Now, over a decade into the rebirth of cantina Conestabile things have seen another renaissance, a look at the past, informed by the knowledge and wisdom gained with experience. Danilo and Alessandra have together brought a new life, a fresh vision to the wines coming from Conestabile. A vision that incorporates the centuries old traditions of their region with wines that people will find have a deeper sense of complexity and mystery to them.

With the fresh 2023 harvest the entire lineup of wines from Conestabile has been reimagined. While the materials, traditional varieties of the area (trebbiano, malvasia, grechetto, sangiovese, ciliegiolo, old vine gamay del Trasimeno, ecc) remain the same, the resulting wines are a stunning throwback to a bygone era, yet made with the precision of a skilled, modern artisan.  

To me, these wines are the truest expression yet of the Conestabile della Staffa journey. They inspired me from the first barrel samples to the final bottled wines. Even the labels showcase the historic Conestabile family crest and indicate that they are to be taken seriously, but also that they are approachable and ready for anyone to enjoy without pretense or extravagant expense.  

Simply put, these wines are the real deal. I know you'll immediately see the substance when you drink them. They will leave you feeling the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, the dense fog of a cool Fall morning in Umbria and the tranquillity of Lake Trasimeno.

The 2023 harvest represents a new dawn, a full circle from Conestabile della Staffa. This line of wines truly has something for everyone...whether you're in the hippest natural wine bar or sharing a bottle with your family at Sunday dinner. 

We are beyond excited to launch this new era of wines from Danilo and Alessandra and can't wait to share them with you!  

As they say in the local Perugino dialect, "GIMO!" (ie, ANDIAMO!)...Let's GO!!!

• “Bianco” 2023 -
  50 year old vines of Grechetto, brief maceration and aging in fiberglass. 13% abv. Apples, pears, citrus peel, salty dirt and grass. Medium richness, generous but balanced acidity. Sophisticated!

• “Sangiovese” 2022 -
  60 year old vines. One week maceration. 12%. Fiberglass. Notes of classic “Rosso Conestabile”. Cherry, raspberry and orange peel. A little bramble. A little cola. A walk down memory lane.

• “Merlot” 2023 -
  50-60 year old vines. 2 weeks maceration. 13.5%. Fiberglass. Big, spicy, and juicy. Undeniable.

• “Rosso due Colli” 2023 -
  Gamay del Trasimeno from 70-80 year old vines. 2 weeks maceration. 13%. Large, old barrel. Strawberry jam, marmalade, berries, cherries. Herbs. Super-fine tannins. Vivid and pure. Very compelling and insane value.

• “Gimo” Orange 2022 -
  Grechetto from 30 year old vines. Long maceration of 60 days. 12%. Fiberglass. Beautiful golden wheat color. Ginger and baking spices, mandarin, herbs. Juicy with mouthwatering sapidity and slightly bitter tannins. BTG Orange happiness.

• “Gimo” Rosso 2022 -
  70% Merlot, 30% Aleatico. 2 days maceration. 12.5%. Fiberglass. Stewed plums, cherries, mixed berry compote. Flowers and sherbet candy. Chill me or not. Freshness and substance.

Lamoresca: The Progression of a Journeyman, Filippo Rizzo

We are delighted to shine a little spotlight on one of our longest producer friendships and collaborations, Lamoresca.  I first met Filippo Rizzo of all places at Villa Favorita, circa 2009.  He was jammed in a tiny corner of the cryptic lower level of the natural wine fair and had 2 wines on his table...a Frappato and a simple "Rosso".  SelectioNaturel didn't exist yet but it was on my mind and certainly in the works as I learned more and more about the natural wine landscape of that period.  Needless to say, Filippo and I struck up a conversation and luckily he remembered me when we reconnected a few weeks later as I hatched plans to become a wine importer.  From then on Filippo has been a close friend, someone I chat regularly with not just about wine but about life, the state of the world, cyclocross racing and cooking. His wines have been a mainstay in our portfolio since day one...that's over 12 years at this point and many amazing vintages of Lamoresca wines!

Filippo is a journeyman.  The type of person that does everything with a thoughtful, mindful purpose.  He carries with him a long term vision of his farm, his wines, his life and allows the seasons of hard work to be reflected through his wines.  Filippo has worked the humble piece of land that was his father's for the past 18+ years, clearing brush, planting native wines, tending to centuries old olive and carob trees all while tinkering in his cellar with his right hand man Gaetano.  To say there has been progress is an understatement.  Filippo's wines have always evolved and he's always had a clear idea of what he loves in wines (not just his but many others in the wine world) and uses each harvest, each racking, each tank or barrel to learn something new and take another step in that journey.

And that leads us to today, the debut of two exciting new cuvee's that Filippo has been working on for several years: Nero & Elsa.

Back in September our "national sales guru", Eric Brown, got to visit with Filippo while he was traveling through Sicily en route to Pantelleria to celebrate his anniversary with his wife Carrie.  Any chance to see Filippo is an amazing opportunity and Eric was able to spend some quality time with Filippo while he showed them the new and exciting evolution of the Lamoresca farm. So, below you will find Eric's words about his visit and the new wines.

---

After a little R&R in Sicily during early September, Carrie and I drove from Catania to Lamoresca for a special visit with Filippo Rizzo. It had been four and half years since we had seen the beautiful rolling hills of his farm outside of San Michele di Ganzaria and much has changed at Lamoresca since then. Filippo is a humble but proud farmer and was eager to show us a piece of land that he purchased shortly after our previous visit. You can see the property prominently from the terrace at Lamoresca, looking northeast toward the mountains. After a quick snack, we hopped in Filippo's truck for a little off-road adventure to see it up close.

The property was owned by an old farmer who lived there alone working the land to produce prickly pears and olives. After 15 years of cajoling from Filippo and fighting through some Sicilian red tape, he eventually sold Filippo the property. It sits high up on Monte Stagno in the Contrada Elsa and it's a magnificent place covered in prickly pear cacti, ancient olive groves, wild herbs and stark, statuesque cliffs of pure silex. Filippo has planted a small alberello parcel of Catarratto on silex and clay soil along with several parcels of Frappato and a bit of Nero d'Avola. He was especially proud to show us a parcel of Frappato that he planted in the spring after weeks spent clearing brush from the property. This parcel is planted amongst the prickly pear cacti with two rows of Frappato between each row/thicket of cacti and it is a wild and glorious sight to see. There is an old farmhouse that Filippo is painstakingly restoring along with an old stone stable that will be a future tasting room and small agriturismo. Just above the farmhouse Filippo showed us an ancient variety of large pearly white olives that grow wild on the property and are of Greek origin most likely introduced during their colonization of Sicily.and southern Italy. The big challenge for Filippo this year (and many other growers throughout Italy) was the lack of water. Without rain for a large portion of the year, many of his new plantations suffered from hydric stress and a good many did not survive. After working with a geologist who concluded that it might not be possible, Filippo started working with a sensitive/shaman who has water-dowsed the property and believes that there is in fact water 100 meters below the surface on the back side of the hill.

While there were many surprises throughout the new property, there were a couple back at the cantina as well. Filippo's journey as a winemaker has led him to crafting wines that speak to this special place and stand the test of time, irrespective of winemaking styles and trends. To that end he made two beautiful riserva red wines starting in the 2019 vintage that were aged for an extended period; Elsa and Nero. We also got to taste the new 2021 Lamoresco Bianco and 2021 Lamoresca Rosso out of the tank as they were waiting to be bottled and shipped to us a few weeks later. The 2021 Bianco was showing real depth,concentration and freshness, but the 2021 Vino Rosso was a real showstopper with explosive aromatics and a purity of fruit and texture that was seriously impressive and Filippo was equally excited about it.

2019 Elsa is a blend of 60% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Frappato and 20% Nero d'Avola with the idea of producing a red wine with three different soil types; iron-rich clay, sand and limestone and three different grape varieties. Each received three weeks of maceration on the skins and aged for a year in concrete tanks and another two years in the bottle.

2019 Nero  is a tribute to arguably the most important and widely planted red grape in Sicily. It's a variety that has often fallen victim to poor vinification in clunky, industrially made wines. Nero Rosso has power but also freshness thanks in part to the large diurnal shift in temperature of this area. It is 100% Nero d'Avola that comes from a 20 year old parcel in sandy soil. The grapes get two months of maceration on the skins before aging for a year in concrete tanks and another two years in the bottle.

-Eric

In Collecapretta We Trust

To be honest, I both love and hate talking about the mythical wines of Collecapretta. In many ways I simply struggle to express the thoughts and sensations I get when I think about the place, the people, the land and of course the wines...perhaps after getting to know the Mattioli family over the past decade I'm simply "too close" to the wines to think clearly about them anymore...and if that's the worst thing that happens I'm quite alright with it.

I'm not gonna ramble off all the technical details about how the wines were made, the precise amount of skin maceration, the soil types, the "blend"....blah, blah, blah. If you want that information it's out there (it's on our website in fact), but these wines in particular are truly greater than the sum of their parts.

In many ways, these wines start with the family. The Mattioli's have called the tiny hamlet of Terzo la Pieve in southern Umbria home for generations, dating back to the medieval times (there's an amazing family tree framed behind their kitchen table). When I first visited the farm it was the father, Vittorio, who was clearly at the helm of the ship. He walked me through the vineyards and the olive groves, showed me the gardens planted between the rows of grapevines. Him being Umbrian and me being a dumb 26 year old trying to start an import company, Vittorio was justifiably skeptical of me...yet he was warm and generous with his time and tone. What I noted however was when we got back to the tiny cellar, it was his oldest daughter, Annalisa, that poured us the wines to taste. She smiled and was almost giddy to share these "secret" family wines with us, to tell the story of the harvest and leave just enough to the imagination.

I knew it then like I know it now...these are some of the best wines in Italy…. full stop.

Usually people would talk about a new release of wines they'd maybe start with the white wines and move to the reserve red wines...but to me the wines of Collecapretta start with the place...the Vigna Vecchia, the "Old Vineyard". This vineyard is a scant hectare, perched on a west facing slope with vines that are in some cases 90+ years old...vines that Vittorio's grandfather planted as a child. The Vigna Vecchia is the mothership...it contains all the native grape varieties found in the vineyard parcels throughout the farm: sangiovese, greco, malvasia, the prized Trebbiano Spoletino, barbera, ciliegiolo and merlot, yes, even merlot. The Vigna Vecchia is the point of origin for all the wines, they use massale selection vine clippings from here to propagate the other plots, and so if, and when, you taste these wines you say, you know each wine is unique and yet they also have a common thread that runs through them all...well, you just tasted the Vigna Vecchia.

If the Vigna Vecchia (the place) is the mothership, then consider "Le Cese" the hub of the wheel....the epicenter around which all the other wines revolve...like the sun. The Le Cese is 100% sangiovese from a steep hillside vineyard. "Le Cese" comes from the local dialect for "le dicese" or "the steep slopes", indicating the ramp on which these vines are planted. The wine itself is so simple yet insanely pure and complex. It's like that recipe that has 3 ingredients and looks so simple on paper (and it is) but it's far from easy to execute. This wine is in it's own class. If you think you know sangiovese, well, here's a new reference point. By now hopefully, you're starting to understand why these wines are "mystical".

Trebbiano Spoletino. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe not. If not what you need to know is that Trebbiano is a big family of grapes...you can find myriad variations of Trebbiano up and down the Italian peninsula, but not all are created equal. Trebbiano Spoletino, named for the ancient city of Spoleto just 10km from Collecapretta, is one of, if not THE most prized varieties of Trebbiano. The skins are remarkably thick, with a high phenolic content. It ripens very very late in the season, often it's the last variety to be harvested at Collecapretta for the year. This long, slow ripening phase allows the complexity to develop and lends itself to prolonged skin maceration during the winemaking, something the natives of Umbria have been calling "ribollito" (re-boiled, don't confuse it with the soup) long before #orangewine was on Instagram. The Terre dei Preti was the first wine I ever tried from Collecapretta and the wine I always reach for when I need to connect with this producer. This is "orange" wine with a purpose, not made to be trendy or hip. The aromatics are exotic, the texture is gossamer. Simply put - Mamma mia.

Now, there are lots of other cuvee's that Collecapretta makes; from the humble Rosso da Tavola, Ciliegiolo, the new Malvasia dello Scarparo, the Burbero, il Forestiero made from that grape from Montefalco we can't talk about here (it's Sagrantino, shhhhh), Merlo Nero (that Merlot that will change your life) and the Selezione delle Cese (if you thought Le Cese was special, well...just sayin')...and like I said, you can find the details about those here on the website, but what I hope you can take away from reading this is that the wines of the Mattioli family, aka Collecapretta, are special. Unique. Unique not just for the sake of it but because so few producers do it with the care, attention and humility that the Mattioli family does it.

Today, Annalisa is the one steering the mothership....and in fact in late 2019 she became a proud new mom...literally during the harvest! One day the torch will be passed again but at Collecapretta it will always be a family affair. When you drink these wines take pause, let it soak in. You have something special in your glass.

Below are some words directly from Annalisa Mattioli about the 2019 harvest. I hope you enjoy.

Vendemmia 2019

"The harvest of 2019 was quite abundant: we did not manage to make the hectoliters of 2018 (a year of extraordinary abundance) but we cannot consider ourselves unfortunate. The grapes were very beautiful and very healthy and their yield was very high, that is, they were not dry but very well hydrated by the rains that occurred during the summer. We started as always from our Ciliegiolo who is always the first to be harvested for winemaking. Then we continued with Greco, Malvasia, Sangiovese, Barbera, Merlot and lastly our Trebbiano Spoletino. In winemaking, everything went very well except for Merlot which is finishing its last fermentations right now (ed. October 2019), that is when it was affected by the rise in temperatures. We have had tumultuous fermentations given by the general high sugar level. The macerations took in fact a few more days, fortunately not compromising anything regarding the lightness and acidity of the wines. Personally, I experienced the 2019 vintage like never before: I was pregnant at the eighth month and going between the barrels was very difficult, bending over to take even a simple tube was the most complicated undertaking. But I was always present together with my dad, and my mom to watch our grape juices become those wines that today always give us a lot of satisfaction. The curious thing is that this important moment of my life, that is the fact of becoming a mother, gave the wines a feeling of great femininity and delicacy (Malvasia dello scarparo is my wine!!!) I hope you like them as we like them."

--Annalisa

Pardon the Interrotto.... Furlani's most prized fizz!

Perched high in the Dolomite Alps of Trentino, Matteo Furlani has been crafting some of the most beloved natural sparkling wines in Italy. Many of us know and love the cheerful line of bottle fermented pet-nats that arrive with the change of each season...from the Alpino Frizzante to the Barbie pink, skin-contact Macerato in the Spring and Summer to the aromatic Antico Nosiola and Rosso Frizzante in the Fall and Winter. These wines are the backbone of Furlani's production but they only give us a small glimpse of the full capacity of Matteo's winemaking prowess and the unparalleled terroir he cultivates.

But, to understand the full scope of Furlani's mastery of the bottle fermented arts you simply must try his two Interrotto cuvee's, the Brut Natur and Brut Natur Rose`.

Now, all of Furlani's wines are single vintage and come from various high elevation parcels that his family has owned for generations. The best way to differentiate the frizzante pet-nats from the Interrotto's (besides the price, ha!) is the grape varieties. The pet-nats offer a kaleidoscope of rare, indegenous grape varieties such as Verdealbara, Laragino bianco, Nosiola, Rossara, Negrara and Pavana. These wines are intended to show us the brilliance of these near forgotten grapes by being turned into delicious, rustic and "simple" wines of pleasure.

However, the two Interrotto wines are another story.

In the alpine village of Vigolo Vattaro, on a southwest facing slope at over 1100 meters of elevation is a tiny 1 hectare, single vineyard parcel of chardonnay and pinot noir tucked behind Matteo's house/winery. The vines are guyot trained and planted in soils rich in calcareous limestone with clay over top. Furlani planted this parcel over 20 years ago, dreaming of one day making a wine that was on par with the best grower Champagnes. He knew that Trento was an ideal area for making sparkling wine, it is after all Italy's first DOCG for Metodo Classico (Champagne method) wines...the climate, soil and tradition all exist there, but Furlani wanted to create something truly special.

In 2002 Furlani made the first vintage of Brut Natur and Brut Natur Rose`using a variation of the Champagne method he called "Metodo Interrotto '' or "interrupted". He started with a blend of 50/50 chardonnay and pinot noir. For the Brut Natur he direct pressed the grapes using his soft pneumatic press yielding a pristine base wine. The Brut Natur Rose` saw a mere 4 hours of skin contact with only the pinot noir, giving the wine a delicate, pale rose color. The wines naturally fermented in stainless steel, he then racked the wines and left them to age on the lees for 6 months performing batonnage throughout the aging process.

The following Spring, using must that was preserved from the harvest, Matteo created his pied de cuve and initiated the secondary fermentation, which he introduced to the vin claire while he bottled the wines by hand. The wines were then fermented in bottle with a resulting finished pressure of ~4.3 atmospheres (Champagne level). The wines were never disgorged - hence being called "Interrupted" - dosaged, sulfured or sugared. The Interrotto wines were then aged in the cellar for nearly 5 years before he began to sell them...needless to say they are very special once they come out of the cellar!

Now, I've been working with Matteo Furlani since the very early days of SelectioNaturel. The Interrotto wines were the first two wines I ever tasted from him and these wines are both the pinnacle of Furlani's winemaking as well as the foundation on which all his other wines are built. The aromas are vivid, the textures are pristine and multilayered. Not just "on par" with Champagne...these go to places Champagne can't even dream of. Maybe it's the terroir, maybe it's Furlani...likely a bit of both.

Back in 2002 he made a scant 600 bottles of these wines and while today he makes slightly more (~1000-2000 bottles of each) they are still very limited. Furlani chooses to age these wines for quite some time before releasing them, when he feels they are in their best moment; the current vintage is the 2017, which we just received. If you're a fan of Furlani fizz these are simply not to be missed.

Above, the tiny “interrotto” vineyard.

The view of Trento in the valley.

Matteo Furlani

For the Love of Lambrusco

It is with great pleasure that I finally sit down and create a SelectioNaturel newsletter. A newsletter that reaches out to each of you to bring you, of all things, news of the happenings, discoveries and stories behind our wines and beloved winemakers. 

For those of you who've known me personally or followed SelectioNaturel from its inception almost 10 years ago, or perhaps even from the old days of when I used to run a small natural wine shop in Boston called, The Wine Bottega, you'll know that above all I love sharing the stories behind the wines I love and now sell across the US. 

When I had the (crazy) idea to start a national importing company focused on bringing never before seen Italian wines to the US, I thought it would be nearly impossible, and it almost was...the amount of paperwork, time, energy, money and resources it takes and took to start even a small-scale company are not to be underestimated...but when you're in your mid-twenties you have a lot of dumbass ideas and a lot of expendable energy...plus I liked to drink wine a lot.  So of course I dove in.  Nearly 10 years in and not without many setbacks and some triumphs, here we are...I finally am back to writing an email newsletter that I hope you enjoy. 

I didn't have a name or, gasp, "brand" for this newsletter until I sat down just now and started writing..."For the Love of Lambrusco" came out.  I like it, and of course I love Lambrusco, so that's what this newsletter will be called.  It won't always have to do with Lambrusco, but probably at least sometimes it will...like today...here you go, email Number 1:

(oh and of course tell all your friends, wines geek pals, sommeliers (did I spell that right?), wine shop owners and anyone who likes wine to join the email list.  It's gonna be fun and it's not just for the wine trade folks, but for anyone and everyone that loves wine and stories about wine).

Okay, enough, here's the first story and it has to do with, ahem, Lambrusco!

-Malbo!
-what'd you call me?

When I started SelectioNaturel I knew I wanted to start with Lambrusco...I wanted to help reshape the narrative of this all too often bastardized, over-produced, misunderstood "category" of wine.  In the US and at the wine shop I once ran, I would suggest the awesome lambrusco's we carried (Camillo Donati, Saetti, Ca' dei Noci, Vittorio Graziano, etc....(all thanks to Louis/Dressner imports by the way) and people would scoff immediately.  All they could remember was a big jug their Uncle Arthur used to bring to Sunday dinner and that headache they'd have immediately after drinking the first glass....What people didn't know was 1) how difficult it was to obtain wines like Donati, Saetti, et al and 2) how amazingly complex and FUN they were to drink....especially with, I don't know, PIZZA!?

So I went on the hunt for "real" lambrusco and low and behold, I found not only some amazing, artisanal lambrusco but also some really great new friends in Modena...Campogalliano to be precise. 

Podere il Saliceto is run by GianPaolo Isabella and Marcello Righj, two friends that joined forces in the early 2000's to do exactly what I wanted to do, but from the perspective of the producer....change the narrative of Lambrusco...one bottle at a time.  Now, this email isn't about their amazing bottle fermented Lambrusco di Sorbara (Falistra) or their neo-traditional classic Albone, but rather this is about one of the rare still (i.e. not sparkling) red wines they make, called simply, Malbo. 

Malbo is a new cuvee we've just brought into the US for the first time.  It's made of 100% malbo gentile, a rare native red variety known for it's snappy acidity, punchy tannin's, dark color and rustic edge...all things I adore in wine.  For years I tasted this cuvee with the Boyz in the cellar. I always liked it but I found that they were macerating and over extracting this already intense variety and they used to age in it in an old oak barrel (for lack of space more then anything else).  I told them it was cool, but not for me...not yet anyway.  Well, here we are some 8ish years later and, like all things Italian, it takes a LONG time to change.  But change they have and the Malbo is now what I would consider a delicious and fun wine to drink and I'm really excited it's made to the US.  They cut the skin maceration down to just 4-6 days and now age the wine only in their vintage 1940's cement tanks called "carati". 

The revamped 2018 Malbo is bright, full of earthy, spicy freshness and a savage dark fruit core.  Think properly ripened refosco or maybe even grolleau or cabernet franc from the Loire Valley...but from Emilia-Romagna of course :) 

I'm really excited for this new wine from Saliceto.  It shows that they are not only masters of making serious and progressive lambrusco, but that they have an attention to native grapes and traditional winemaking technique.  The wine is super fun to drink and brings you right to the tiny cellar filled with the laughter and friendship of Gian Paolo and Marcello.