<p>Though we are huge fans of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="420">Emilia-Romagna</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> this is actually our first <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> from Romagna, the southern part of the region. The soils, grapes and <glossary title="656">microclimates</glossary><glossary title="656"> </glossary>are completely different than the <glossary title="427">estates</glossary> we work with around <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="172">Bologna</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="762">Parma</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="668">Modena</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1388">Piacenza</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>We discovered Andrea's wines at an excellent seafood restaurant recommended by <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/Dotorri/">Corrado Dottori of La Distesa</a>. After striking a rapport with the owner and asking for something we didn't know, he proposed "Rigogolo", Andrea's <glossary title="617">magnum</glossary> only <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We were blown away by its texture and purity. It took us over a year to track him down, but we are now bringing in limited quantities of Andrea's wines to the US!<br />
<br />
Andrea started making wine in 1998 without any experience in <glossary title="422">oenology</glossary> or <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1103">viticulture</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> His farm is upstream of the medieval village of Brisighella, in the village of Fognano. Spread over 25 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> at an altitude of 350 meters, the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> is nestled in a valley surrounded by natural forest, preserving its unique <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="656">microclimate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Only three <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines are cultivated, all planted by Andrea himself: the white grapes <span class="zalup"><span>(<glossary title="85">Albana</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1251">Famoso</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="1043">Trebbiano</glossary>) in 1999 and the reds (<glossary title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> and <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary>) in 2000. A small new plantation of <glossary title="85">Albana</glossary> was planted in 2017 and the <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary> was <glossary title="500">re-grafted</glossary> with <glossary title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> in 2018. <br />
<br />
The wines are the result of diligent work done in the vines throughout the year, with <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> kept very low to focus on the quality of the fruit. <glossary title="909">Sandy</glossary> <glossary title="1032">top-soil</glossary> quickly gives way to rocky, <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="596">limestone</glossary><span>-</span></span></span>rich <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> called Galestro. For whites, the <glossary title="1139">indigenous</glossary> <glossary title="85">Albana</glossary> and <glossary title="1251">Famoso</glossary> grapes are championed, for reds <glossary title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> and small amounts of <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary> (these are much more traditional here due to the proximity to <glossary title="1055">Tuscany</glossary>). The <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> is a small, intimate affair with the wines <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> and <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> in <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> and old <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="142">tonneaux</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> often with long <glossary title="610">macerations</glossary> for both the whites and the reds. Andrea has never used <glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary> at any point in the <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>'s existence.</p>
<p><u><strong>November 8th, 2020:</strong></u></p>
<p>The 2020 <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> started with a rainy spring that finally enriched the soil with water after a winter with little rain and little snow. The vines (even the youngest ones) responded with an excellent <glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">flowering</glossary> which turned into an abundant production of healthy <glossary term="Cluster/Bunch" title="1138">bunches</glossary> in the <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>!</span></span></span> The summer fluctuated quite a bit but in a balanced way, with high temperatures on some days, significant drops in others. The result brought us a rich <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> of healthy, pulpy and fragrant grapes!</p>
<p>We were also very lucky because, unlike some nearby areas hit several times by <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Hail" title="1136">hail</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we never got touched! Even during the <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which began on September 5th with <glossary term="Albana" title="85">Albana</glossary> and ended on October 1st with <glossary term="Sangiovese" title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> (obviously interspersed with days off), it was done with a mild and dry climate.</p>
<p>Let's say that for us, a year that was terrible and very difficult for everyone will also be remembered for something positive: the 2020 <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>!</span></span></span> It's a quality/quantity ratio that we had not been seen in years and years... I will send you a series of emails with pictures. Even from the photos you can appreciate how beautiful and healthy the grapes were!</p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/41/65/4165772f5d00acf03212990aa58efcca.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/28/00/2800246f9b2924cb815dd5a688e31340.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/03/43/0343af732f413b3087f02b95f9019dbb.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/cf/c6/cfc6e894850c56483e1b7cd0761140e6.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/46/08/4608bf7646ed1f00cc94577995a1a60b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/e2/e7/e2e76321f8027c12022f6f5d55817bc8.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/a1/c1/a1c1b420ab39c94bfedd0b03780a03ca.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/2f/2c/2f2cadeb23c91e086a9b7d900b401cf7.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/f5/57/f557df2102de222524fcfc27e6ddf48b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/19/fd/19fd76c7643d7f48596dd6a725a46762.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/86/41/8641b5aacf1b6480e01384c6f7b58b4a.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/5c/07/5c07bcaff134e75ba7fd096a28d7cfef.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/7a/59/7a593055e1468fa0de5d8ca19ec9f4d2.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/c3/02/c302fa3b2fe4d755788fe37cf784e5f5.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/0d/9e/0d9e5833bd17ee2e2f219158f3b6bc55.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/e0/40/e0407960e8d1c9a150edb3e7964742b8.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/fe/85/fe85693a10ebe148067680d945ecee26.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong><em>Words by Andrea Bragagni, October 6th, 2019.</em></strong></p>
<p>This year we had a spring where May was particularly cold and, moreover, rainy so that there was a lot of work constantly monitoring the plants in order to intervene when necessary with <glossary title="333">copper</glossary> (against <glossary title="1137">downy mildew</glossary>) as precisely as possible.</p>
<p>The summer followed, alternating between hot and notably low temperatures with the right amount of rain for the vineyards. Unfortunately though, in the month of July, we were hit with a <glossary title="1136">hailstorm</glossary> that caused damage to about 20% of the grapes. </p>
<p>All of this came with a <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> of slow <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturation</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> mainly because after August 15th many nights were already cold and slowed the ripening (but certainly helped the <glossary title="120">aromatics</glossary>).</p>
<p>The <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> started the 4th of September (a couple of weeks later compared to the previous years) with pauses in between and finished on the 6th of October. </p>
<p>Quantity wise, we had a smaller <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> then past few years, around 40% less. In the <glossary term="-Select term-" title="">cellar</glossary> we have <glossary title="700">must</glossary> <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> with lower grades of alcohol but good <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary>…fresh and elegant aromas…a velvety year. </p>
<p>Here are some photos.</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//d5/0d/d50dfc2b818b0722fbf60833e9042697.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//e5/f6/e5f6365f411fcb4e2b9eb9b0c32445dd.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//49/b3/49b32548670c54b09c04905f33a7fab3.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//be/dd/beddd13af4bad0d1cba0ef9706c6e39a.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//a5/67/a567e1878493806442c0bb7dda573eb0.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//68/61/68612d858537c67a2ff413bf2ee3b429.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//a2/a2/a2a28049d2d9284ec52db336aa529278.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//47/c7/47c7ab537eba062decd6556419c7ab64.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//90/2c/902cbcc213a75d156b70dd0c62a67d0a.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//7b/7d/7b7d18266988c76b7939a9588df1987b.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//a6/7d/a67da31d233cae314b07e9275b046e6a.jpg" /></p>
<p>Though we are huge fans of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="420">Emilia-Romagna</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> this is actually our first <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> from Romagna, the southern part of the region. The soils, grapes and <glossary title="656">microclimates</glossary><glossary title="656"> </glossary>are completely different than the <glossary title="427">estates</glossary> we work with around <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="172">Bologna</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="762">Parma</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="668">Modena</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1388">Piacenza</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>We discovered Andrea's wines at an excellent seafood restaurant recommended by <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/Dotorri/">Corrado Dottori of La Distesa</a>. After striking a rapport with the owner and asking for something we didn't know, he proposed "Rigogolo", Andrea's <glossary title="617">magnum</glossary> only <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We were blown away by its texture and purity. It took us over a year to track him down, but we are now bringing in limited quantities of Andrea's wines to the US!<br />
<br />
Andrea started making wine in 1998 without any experience in <glossary title="422">oenology</glossary> or <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1103">viticulture</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> His farm is upstream of the medieval village of Brisighella, in the village of Fognano. Spread over 25 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> at an altitude of 350 meters, the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> is nestled in a valley surrounded by natural forest, preserving its unique <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="656">microclimate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Only three <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines are cultivated, all planted by Andrea himself: the white grapes <span class="zalup"><span>(<glossary title="85">Albana</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1251">Famoso</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="1043">Trebbiano</glossary>) in 1999 and the reds (<glossary title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> and <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary>) in 2000. A small new plantation of <glossary title="85">Albana</glossary> was planted in 2017 and the <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary> was <glossary title="500">re-grafted</glossary> with <glossary title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> in 2018. <br />
<br />
The wines are the result of diligent work done in the vines throughout the year, with <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> kept very low to focus on the quality of the fruit. <glossary title="909">Sandy</glossary> <glossary title="1032">top-soil</glossary> quickly gives way to rocky, <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="596">limestone</glossary><span>-</span></span></span>rich <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> called Galestro. For whites, the <glossary title="1139">indigenous</glossary> <glossary title="85">Albana</glossary> and <glossary title="1251">Famoso</glossary> grapes are championed, for reds <glossary title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> and small amounts of <glossary title="217">Cabernet Sauvignon</glossary> (these are much more traditional here due to the proximity to <glossary title="1055">Tuscany</glossary>). The <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> is a small, intimate affair with the wines <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> and <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> in <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> and old <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="142">tonneaux</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> often with long <glossary title="610">macerations</glossary> for both the whites and the reds. Andrea has never used <glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary> at any point in the <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>'s existence.</p>
<p><u><strong>November 8th, 2020:</strong></u></p>
<p>The 2020 <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> started with a rainy spring that finally enriched the soil with water after a winter with little rain and little snow. The vines (even the youngest ones) responded with an excellent <glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">flowering</glossary> which turned into an abundant production of healthy <glossary term="Cluster/Bunch" title="1138">bunches</glossary> in the <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>!</span></span></span> The summer fluctuated quite a bit but in a balanced way, with high temperatures on some days, significant drops in others. The result brought us a rich <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> of healthy, pulpy and fragrant grapes!</p>
<p>We were also very lucky because, unlike some nearby areas hit several times by <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Hail" title="1136">hail</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we never got touched! Even during the <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which began on September 5th with <glossary term="Albana" title="85">Albana</glossary> and ended on October 1st with <glossary term="Sangiovese" title="911">Sangiovese</glossary> (obviously interspersed with days off), it was done with a mild and dry climate.</p>
<p>Let's say that for us, a year that was terrible and very difficult for everyone will also be remembered for something positive: the 2020 <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>!</span></span></span> It's a quality/quantity ratio that we had not been seen in years and years... I will send you a series of emails with pictures. Even from the photos you can appreciate how beautiful and healthy the grapes were!</p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/41/65/4165772f5d00acf03212990aa58efcca.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/28/00/2800246f9b2924cb815dd5a688e31340.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/03/43/0343af732f413b3087f02b95f9019dbb.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/cf/c6/cfc6e894850c56483e1b7cd0761140e6.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/46/08/4608bf7646ed1f00cc94577995a1a60b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/e2/e7/e2e76321f8027c12022f6f5d55817bc8.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/a1/c1/a1c1b420ab39c94bfedd0b03780a03ca.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/2f/2c/2f2cadeb23c91e086a9b7d900b401cf7.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/f5/57/f557df2102de222524fcfc27e6ddf48b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/19/fd/19fd76c7643d7f48596dd6a725a46762.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/86/41/8641b5aacf1b6480e01384c6f7b58b4a.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/5c/07/5c07bcaff134e75ba7fd096a28d7cfef.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/7a/59/7a593055e1468fa0de5d8ca19ec9f4d2.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/c3/02/c302fa3b2fe4d755788fe37cf784e5f5.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/0d/9e/0d9e5833bd17ee2e2f219158f3b6bc55.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/e0/40/e0407960e8d1c9a150edb3e7964742b8.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//865/fe/85/fe85693a10ebe148067680d945ecee26.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong><em>Words by Andrea Bragagni, October 6th, 2019.</em></strong></p>
<p>This year we had a spring where May was particularly cold and, moreover, rainy so that there was a lot of work constantly monitoring the plants in order to intervene when necessary with <glossary title="333">copper</glossary> (against <glossary title="1137">downy mildew</glossary>) as precisely as possible.</p>
<p>The summer followed, alternating between hot and notably low temperatures with the right amount of rain for the vineyards. Unfortunately though, in the month of July, we were hit with a <glossary title="1136">hailstorm</glossary> that caused damage to about 20% of the grapes. </p>
<p>All of this came with a <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> of slow <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturation</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> mainly because after August 15th many nights were already cold and slowed the ripening (but certainly helped the <glossary title="120">aromatics</glossary>).</p>
<p>The <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> started the 4th of September (a couple of weeks later compared to the previous years) with pauses in between and finished on the 6th of October. </p>
<p>Quantity wise, we had a smaller <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> then past few years, around 40% less. In the <glossary term="-Select term-" title="">cellar</glossary> we have <glossary title="700">must</glossary> <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> with lower grades of alcohol but good <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary>…fresh and elegant aromas…a velvety year. </p>
<p>Here are some photos.</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//d5/0d/d50dfc2b818b0722fbf60833e9042697.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//e5/f6/e5f6365f411fcb4e2b9eb9b0c32445dd.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//49/b3/49b32548670c54b09c04905f33a7fab3.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//be/dd/beddd13af4bad0d1cba0ef9706c6e39a.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//a5/67/a567e1878493806442c0bb7dda573eb0.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//68/61/68612d858537c67a2ff413bf2ee3b429.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//a2/a2/a2a28049d2d9284ec52db336aa529278.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//47/c7/47c7ab537eba062decd6556419c7ab64.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//90/2c/902cbcc213a75d156b70dd0c62a67d0a.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//7b/7d/7b7d18266988c76b7939a9588df1987b.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_28//a6/7d/a67da31d233cae314b07e9275b046e6a.jpg" /></p>