Antoniolo. Gattinara Riserva 'San Francesco'

Gattinara Riserva DOCG
Grape: Nebbiolo

2017 has deep strawberry and blackberry fruit, leather, ripe basil and lemon; some clove and truffle on the nose betray the heat of the vintage.  Great depths of fine, rich fruit, flint, bramble, rosehip, and damson.  Reminiscent of the 2015, though at this stage perhaps the fruit is a little reticent.  Overall, very fine with a ripe tannic structure, reinforced by immaculate citrus fruit, iron and bright red berries.  A wine that will mature over decades.  14%

2018
2018 was an unusual vintage, a long growing season with dry heat, some heavy rains and even periods of tropical humidity.  Remarkably the crop came in heathy, hand-picked in the first week of October.  Bunches were sorted and de-stemmed before a spontaneous fermentation on the skins lasting 21 days.  This wine is then aged for 3 years in botti grande, (large barrels made from Slavonian oak) before being bottled without fining or filtration.
A deep flavoured red with remarkable purity and immaculate clean fruit; the blackberry heading to blueberry and rose.  The tannins are silky, barely touching the wine, it genuinely is a vintage that is enjoyable right now, but also promises to develop over many years.  14%

Antoniolo producer page

San Francesco is a west-facing slope behind the famous castle of Gattinara.  The total vineyard covers 3.5ha and is planted with 2 clones of  Nebbiolo: Lampia and Michet.  The vines are over 60 years old and the yields from these acidic, volcanic soils is pitiful. 

Grapes are hand-picked, de-stemmed and fermented ‘spontaneously*’ in cement tanks, staying on the skins for 18 days.  The wine is then aged for 3 years in botti grande, large barrels made from Slavonian oak.  The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.