Biodynamic Valpolicella from Monte Dall'Ora

Monte Dall'Ora Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Monte Dall'Ora
Region	Veneto
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Alessandra Zantedeschi and Carlo Venturini
Size	6.5 hectares
Farming	Biodynamic (certified)
Soils	Iron rich, friable red limestone, sand, clay
Grapes grown	Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, Oseleta, Dindarella, Garganega, Malvasia
Fun facts	If you can remember every single grape this estate grows you a probably a Master of Wine.

If you can remember every single grape this estate grows you a probably a Master of Wine.

Name of Estate	Monte Dall'Ora
Region	Veneto
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Alessandra Zantedeschi and Carlo Venturini
Size	6.5 hectares
Farming	Biodynamic (certified)
Soils	Iron rich, friable red limestone, sand, clay
Grapes grown	Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, Oseleta, Dindarella, Garganega, Malvasia
Fun facts	If you can remember every single grape this estate grows you a probably a Master of Wine.

Get to know
Monte Dall'Ora

producer profile 28.06.2019

Monte Dall'Ora Producer Profile

Located in the center of <glossary title="1070">Valpolicella</glossary> on one of the five ridges that descend the valley (which resemble the fingers of a hand), Monte Dall'Ora is the creation of Carlo Venturini and his wife Alessandra Zantedeschi. Both are from <glossary title="1089">vigniaoli</glossary> families, but decided to start fresh with their own <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> in 1995. At the time, the purchased <glossary title="1022">terraces</glossary> were in terrible condition and everything had to be rebuilt. Vines are either <glossary title="941">selection massale</glossary> or <glossary title="500">grafted</glossary> on American <glossary title="869">rootstock</glossary>. Carlo has chosen to work with (and in some cases, replant) the region's traditional <glossary title="1071">varietals</glossary>: <glossary title="342">Corvina</glossary>, <glossary title="343">Corvinone</glossary>, <glossary title="868">Rondinella</glossary>, and <glossary title="750">Oseleta</glossary> (a lost <glossary title="1139">indigenous</glossary> grape). The <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> was worked <glossary title="746">organically</glossary> until 2006, when the the couple <glossary title="332">converted</glossary> to <glossary title="160">biodynamic</glossary> <glossary title="78">agriculture</glossary>. The soils are unique to their particular ridge, and are composed of <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> with a reddish hue. The first 15 meters are very soft and porous, permitting the vines' roots to penetrate deep in the <glossary title="991">subsoil</glossary>.  The vines are all trained in the <glossary title="774">Pergola</glossary> style. Carlo thought about <glossary title="1039">training</glossary> the vines in <glossary title="518">Guyot</glossary>, but quickly changed his mind for reasons of climate and quality control. In many regions, growers continue to use <glossary title="774">Pergola</glossary> because this vine tending system produces very high <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary>; while often inconsequential to the health of the grapes, the widespread justification is that <glossary title="">Pergola</glossary> is necessary to protect the fruit from the sun. In <glossary title="1070">Valpolicella's</glossary> case, this is actually true: <glossary title="342">Corvina</glossary> and <glossary title="343">Corvionne</glossary> are both very susceptible to sunlight. They are also very vigorous <glossary title="1071">varietals</glossary>: with  <glossary title="518">guyot</glossary>, <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary> would get too big and become prone to illness. <glossary title="774">Pergola</glossary> creates more air and space between <glossary title="1138">clusters</glossary>; the plants are more separated, which results in smaller and more concentrated <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary>.  Instead of worrying about lower <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> for higher <glossary title="324">concentration</glossary> (an easy goal with <glossary title="">Guyot</glossary> but very hard to accomplish with <glossary title="774">Pergola</glossary>), Carlo prefers focusing his energy on balance in the vineyard: this essentially means promoting <glossary title="78">agricultural</glossary> and natural <glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary> instead of just vine tending. Grass grows free, with cherry and olive trees complimenting the entirety of the vineyard. This work philosophy continues through the winemaking: "Finding the equilibrium in the vineyard brings balance in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>."

producer visit 09.08.2019

This visit to Monte Dall'Ora took place in November, 2013

This visit to Monte Dall'Ora took place in November, 2013. Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Eben Lillie. Carlo Venturini and Alessandra Zantedeschi have a pretty nice backyard.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//0f/27/0f27787ea42e1a72e0fb0700b48db375.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//99/e3/99e37c7d53bd8295eb35da96723e8501.jpg" /> Yes, that's their mail box in the photo above. They also have a dog named Vladimir who loves playing with this old soccer ball.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//d0/dd/d0dd5565a4c0d073437c538fb034426b.jpg" /> Before setting off to see a newly acquired vineyard, these stacks on stacks on stacks of drying <glossary title="99">Amarone</glossary> grapes caught everyone's attention. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//0b/50/0b50bf6ac77008762ea079d5dbe6f18b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//bf/b4/bfb42ef43452c5198a1482ff0e9ce3a5.jpg" /> These are left in the open without  <glossary title="1018">temperature control</glossary>. Carlo does have a big fan constantly blowing on them though, so maybe that counts as <glossary title="1018">temperature control</glossary>. You tell me.  Carlo was really excited to show us his newly acquired land just above the mountain <glossary title="322">commune</glossary> of <glossary title="905">San Giorgio</glossary>, which is located on the northern-most edge of <glossary title="1070">Valpolicella</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//13/18/131888b33161b98a3e624dfe302eb50c.jpg" /> The vineyard is completely enclosed by woods, with no neighbors. It is mostly planted in <glossary title="518">Guyot</glossary>. The soils consist of <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> rich in <glossary title="547">iron</glossary>. Throw in a southern <glossary title="430">exposition</glossary>, and you have all the factors for great <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//72/94/72949bea0aaffcee1fb21d54e76a4124.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//4d/ea/4dea5810f09c22922f94a3842906c2ad.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//e7/02/e702f6c7f738bba5505be4d0777f1cea.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//36/94/369421b61202ab0e937d2cf76d5b375c.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//17/a6/17a6c89bcf94948f0ba2abcce9c2ae79.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//15/32/1532fb85035f327f2a7064fe16245e06.jpg" /> The vines are seven years old and planted in <glossary title="342">Corvina</glossary>, <glossary title="343">Corvinone</glossary>, and <glossary title="1020">Teroldego</glossary>. Unbeknownst to the group, <glossary title="1020">Teroldego</glossary> is permitted in <glossary title="1070">Valpolicella</glossary> vineyards, up to 15%. The vines were being worked <glossary title="279">chemically</glossary> and Carlo is <glossary title="332">converting</glossary> them to <glossary title="160">biodynamics</glossary>. In total this represents two <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>.  He is not sure where the grapes from this land will end up for the time being, as this will require experimentation. The eventual goal, once the vines are older, is to make a site specific <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary> from this <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>.  Part of the acquisition included a tiny <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> of whites planted in <glossary title="774">Pergola</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//01/07/0107b775ebcaf5a7f844040205db7220.jpg" /> <glossary title=""></glossary> <glossary title="341">Cortese</glossary>, <glossary title="482">Garganega</glossary>, <glossary title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> and a mystery grape are planted here.  "I'll try making a little white this year. I've only tried this once before, and it was the worst thing ever!" As we were contemplating the beautiful view, a strange sound started galloping towards us. Everyone got freaked out, but we were quickly relieved to know that it was just a horse running freely through the mountain.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//a3/b6/a3b63b136fa222c7660036c490f1e2bc.jpg" /> I then unsuccessfully tried to convince the group that this was all staged and that we at Louis/Dressner <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI" target="_blank">intentionally set up beautiful acts of nature</a> to impress our customers.  Because it was on our way down, Carlo had us stop by <glossary title="905">San Giorgio</glossary>, which was built in Roman-Pagan times. Here's the village's beautiful Church.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//fd/6e/fd6eb5ac23990f6804f54b1f5248e545.jpg" /> And here's a beautiful mountain sunset.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//d0/c4/d0c44ad7e0a29252e939a132ff041e84.jpg" /> The sun was setting fast, but we still had a bit of time to rush over to the Camporenzo vineyard, which happens to be the "backyard" I was joking about earlier and which produces a <glossary title="363">cuvée</glossary> of the same name.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//b6/95/b695bc96f73244138ec23b149ae357bb.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//99/b4/99b43d59f9071abd38bc2ee354a3674a.jpg" /> Camporenzo totals three <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> and faces east. Everything is grown in <glossary title="774">Pergola</glossary>, which is normal for the region. It's also right next to Brad Pitt and Angolina Jolie's villa, a converted old monastery. No word yet if they plan to produce a <glossary title="1070">Valpolicella</glossary> <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/vintage-angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-rose-wine-sells-hours-article-1.1281983" target="notSet">after the huge success of their first wine, Miraval Rosé</a>.  The soils here are <glossary title="909">sand</glossary> with a loose <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> <glossary title="991">subsoil</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//73/d1/73d132e119ed9b214138e09679b7c736.jpg" /> By the time we were done with Camporenzo it was pitch black outside, so the natural transition was to head to the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//fd/6d/fd6d00c7b74ad6ba058e008738afddc9.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//37/1c/371cb705b9ffd048282dffdbcfdfca43.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_09//69/26/6926c415c0b0bd9aeaf8045aa1557fe8.jpg" /> We started by tasting the <glossary title="146">base</glossary> for the 2013 "Saseti" (local dialect for "little rock"), but with the late <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> it was so young (we were there in mid-November) that it was hard to taste much more than fresh grape juice.  The <glossary term="Superiore" title="1334">Superiore</glossary>, which <glossary title="610">macerates</glossary> in the <glossary title="1126">wood</glossary> <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> you can see above, needs to be <glossary title="458">foot-trodden</glossary> once a day. Since we all happened to be there, Carlo figured he'd give us a demonstration.  <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hduM12VW06M" width="640"></iframe> "Right now the grapes are very soft. With the <glossary title="99">Amarone</glossary>, the grapes are much harder and it's much less fun.". Speaking of the <glossary title="99">Amarone</glossary>, drying time is variable. Carlo waits at least until the 1st of January of the next year, and it will be February for this year's <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary>. It usually takes 10 to 15 days to start the <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary>. In the first few days, Carlo does very little <glossary title="458">foot treading</glossary>. After that, he does three a day (about five hours apart) for 10 days. In the <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary>, you have approximately 70% skins and 30% juice, which was the opposite of what he was <glossary title="458">stomping</glossary> on with the <glossary term="Superiore" title="1334">Superiore</glossary> in the video. The wine then <glossary title="74">ages</glossary> three years in <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> and one year in bottle before release.  Dinner was INSANE, and featured never-ending polenta with anchovies, <glossary title="">Valpolicella</glossary> ravioli (the pasta was made with wine), pork stuffed with pork and Italian Cronuts. It was also a good time to hear Carlo talk of his early experiences in the area. When he first took over what would become Monte Dall'Ora, he made a point to chat up all the old timers and ask them how they used to work. The thing that resonated most with him was that: "When everything was still done by hand, there were way less <glossary title="328">treatments</glossary> simply because it meant so much more work (spraying row by row with a heavy backpack). That's also why people started building bigger <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>. 1000<glossary title="524">hl</glossary> at a time is the way to do it!".

harvest report 15.10.2014

2014 Harvest Photos from Monte Dall'Ora

harvest report 12.09.2011

2011 Harvest Report from Monte Dall'Ora

We are almost at the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary>, still a few weeks until the the man-of-the-mountain says it's ready. There are all the expectations of a great year, even if this year the climate was extremely variable: a very hot spring with an early <glossary title="1179">flowering</glossary> and fruit set, then hot at end of June and into July, also with a lot of rain, but cool nights and days full of very bright sunshine, now ten days of really hot weather that has raised the levels. We expect to be a full 10 days earlier than average of other years in that we will start on the 10th with the grapes to dry for the <glossary title="99">Amarone</glossary> and the <glossary title="846">Recioto</glossary>. It was a splendid year with little infection of <glossary title="1137">downy mildew</glossary> or <glossary title="737">oidium</glossary>, so there were fewer <glossary title="328">treatments</glossary> (5/6 times in total). We will do the new <glossary title="149">501 treatment</glossary> until the first days of September for reinforcing and making the <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary> more compact during the rest of the <glossary title="639">maturation</glossary>. For the <glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary>, we have a program to collaborate with the University of <glossary title="422">Oenology</glossary> in <glossary title="1084">Verona</glossary> as well as <glossary title="1106">Vinnatur</glossary> to analyze the <glossary title="538">ambient yeast culture</glossary> that develops in our <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> and to identify the best plants for some experiments next year. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//a5/bd/a5bdedc39158495c97fbf7d0ce4d50e5.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//a6/33/a63302fe88b2993508ada558bd5ee86b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//0c/eb/0ceb377dcc37ff45d819c12e2e7faac6.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//34/26/342644e82ba9b431357c2a571e0792c6.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//31/6a/316a72b289eb69e2db584885ec048803.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//2b/96/2b96de6e446a85c7b48d54f9204dd55b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//ca/7e/ca7e85188ff5f5c373075ab4ddb57bcf.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//61/aa/61aaf233b10a32803987d106e6f0ee17.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//1c/34/1c34897c40769e0d33a042b2704272bf.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//a1/a8/a1a886428c07ae12b519ac2c2b410d4a.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//55/8b/558b08d7ec8c3c907495a9b9869427c1.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//24/eb/24ebc0dabccf1b3af15f8f18583036c8.jpg" />