Antica Torre De Roccolo Rosso del Roccolo 2018

In 2010, Chiara Bassi and Raimond Zolin purchased two-thirds of a hectare of very old vines inter-planted in the “old way” with trees in the shadow of a roccolo, a towering vertical birdhouse, because they knew that if they didn’t, the vineyard and the winegrowing history it represented would be destroyed. Working diligently to restore their 90 year-old vines, they have identified more than 20 autochthonous grape varieties under their care, from which they now make three wines in scant quantities: a white, a red and a frizzante. Theirs is a real grassroots operation: their “cellar” is actually a corner of a friend’s garage; fermentations take place in fiberglass and plastic tubs, and aging occurs in neutral barrels.

The terroir of the domaine is evident in this wine, a field blend of all the red grape varieties grown at the domaine, including Negrara, Cabernet Savardo, Tyrolese, and Marzemino (a close cousin of Teroldego and Refosco dal Pedunculo Rosso). The nose is floral and plummy, with a freshness that reminds us of the area’s proximity to the mountains.