La Villana Rosso 2021

Country: Italy

Region: Lazio

Type: Red Wine

Grape: Greghetto/Merlot

Joy Kull of La Villana in Lazio, Italy, is a Swiss-born American who grew up in Connecticut, and worked in the wine industry for a number of years before landing in Gradoli (in the lake region of Lazio) working as an intern with Le Coste. She started very small, making her first rogue vintage in 2015 and now makes 8 different wines and has several hectares planted to ancient red and white varietals on a gorgeous amphitheater overlooking the Bolsena lake. Along the way, she married a local shepherd. “La Villana” is a derogatory local slang that shepherds use for farmers, thus describing her playful home life quite well.

Grapes are de-stemmed by hand, followed by one week of maceration. No added sulfur. Aromas of sour cherry, candied grape and espresso. On the palate, the wine displays black cherry, hints of green herbs and cola. Light tannins and a full, juicy core. Serve lightly chilled.