producers visit

<p><strong><em>This visit with Danila Pisano took place in November, 2012.</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Josefa Concannon.</em></strong></p> <p>After saying goodbye to Antonio Perrino of Testalonga, we drove up to the village of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="966">Soldano</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> home of&nbsp;Danila Pisano! The single mountain road to get there was full of upward twist and turns, and the further along we went, the more remote it felt. We were trailing Kevin, and after losing him I couldn&#39;t help but feel like we were in the&nbsp;beginning of a horror movie.<br /> <br /> Fortunately, we arrived unharmed and were greeted by a joyful Danila hanging out at the cafe with her long time boyfriend Tino.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//7b/8e/7b8e4ada692ac88c45e6d08f0f2d912d.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Because it was later in the afternoon and the vines are a 20 minute drive out, we proposed that the couple hop into one our cars and show us the way. Tino laughed heartily and told us there was no way what we were driving could make it up there. He was not kidding! The drive in Danila&#39;s 4x4 was full of razor-sharp turns and one of the steepest I&#39;ve ever experienced. There were points when we were on a 60% incline!&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Danila and Tino parked the cars, and from there it was a short walk to one of the most peaceful vineyard<strong> </strong>sites I&#39;ve ever experienced.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//4e/c9/4ec97be452f8132fc245d9e44a0e5596.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//16/21/16211811e92e2659799c42b0fc2b17a8.jpg" /><br /> <br /> From the<strong>&nbsp;</strong>vineyards, you can spot the beginning of France.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//07/da/07daa5b979bd4684c3fb2791df48dcc3.jpg" /><br /> <br /> The <glossary title="427">estate&nbsp;</glossary>consists of 0.8 <glossary title="523">h&nbsp;</glossary>of vines spread over three different sites in the <glossary title="1064">Val Verbone valley,</glossary> all planted in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="873">Rossese</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The vines are actually from Tino&#39;s family, and were inherited when his father retired. Tino has always worked in highway maintenance, but decided with Danila to start cultivating the vines and making wine in 1996. They immediately <glossary title="332">converted&nbsp;</glossary>the vines to <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary><span class="zalup"><span><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="760">parcel&nbsp;</glossary>we visited is <glossary title="430">exposed&nbsp;</glossary>Southwest, and though it felt much higher, at 250 meters&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="419">elevation</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<br /> <br /> They are also beautifully&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1022">terraced</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which has always been the tradition around these parts.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//8f/db/8fdbeace0f230b01892b9e3760251257.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//78/00/7800eef1dbd87a35f0d143177238aaca.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//a7/c3/a7c3731aa68281b0e6cf1b96a90a6ea5.jpg" /><br /> <br /> The <glossary title="1022">terraces</glossary> were built in 1933. The soils consist of 40%&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="909">sand</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 40% <glossary title="301">clay&nbsp;</glossary>and 20%&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="596">limestone</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> All the vineyard work is done by hand, but they have a small tractor for transportation. The vines are all trained in<em>&nbsp;</em><span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Gobelet" title="497">alberello</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//6b/e3/6be37405b14daedb6d8ed49a185b5b0e.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//6e/de/6ede98a66983f62a91f1c5a850886474.jpg" /><br /> <br /> It&#39;s hard to tell from the pictures, but the rows are on very steep hill. I think this one with Denyse looking like a superhero (with Lee as her sidekick) gives you the best idea of the steepness.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//45/ab/45abfc9b8220022b4ad951517bfe730d.jpg" /><br /> <br /> After visiting the vines, we drove back to <glossary title="966">Soldano&nbsp;</glossary>to taste the recently <glossary title="185">bottled&nbsp;</glossary>2011&#39;s. They were incredibly good. Both <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuv&eacute;es</glossary><glossary title="363">&nbsp;</glossary>are <glossary title="1104">vinified&nbsp;</glossary>the same way: 8-15 days <glossary title="610">maceration&nbsp;</glossary>in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="986">stainless</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> then <glossary title="843">racked&nbsp;</glossary>and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="827">hard pressed</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> <glossary title="441">Fermentation&nbsp;</glossary>usually takes 10-15 days, also in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> &quot;Savoia&quot; is a selection of the best grapes from their best site. It&#39;s the best!<br /> <br /> With the 1978 Testalonga fresh on my mind, I asked if there were any back <glossary title="1109">vintages</glossary> to taste. At first Tino was hesitant, as he truly believes that the wines need to be consumed within two years. Nonetheless pulled out a 2006 for us to try. And you know what? He was right. The wine hadn&#39;t completely fallen apart, but had none of the vibrancy and brightness that I&#39;d come to expect. Fortunately, the wines are so good young that they get drunk up promptly!&nbsp;<br /> <br /> As we left, this painted sign on the road caught my eye.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Jul_22//b7/f7/b7f728a22f1cfb05236c6ed5bb99342c.jpg" /><br /> <br /> I don&#39;t know, I just found it funny that the girl basically looks like a shovel.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> After saying goodbye, we drove to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="912">Sanremo</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> gambled the night away, drove to <glossary title="718">Nice&nbsp;</glossary>the next morning and flew back to our respective cities.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>