Cascina San Leto Ricci 'El Matt' Croatina Colli Tortonesi DOC 2020 750ML
Variety: Croatina
Vineyards: 1 ha 25-yr-old vines; South, Southwest facing, 290 meters a.s.l., Tortonian marl
Vinification: Hand harvested into stainless steel tanks to ferment spontaneously; eight months in steel followed by six months resting in bottle before release.
Tasting Notes: Dark red with blueberry on the nose. Fragrant and fruit-driven (dried cherries, pomegranate) with notes of licorice and earth on the finish.
Deep in Piedmont’s stunning Colli Tortonesi hills, Daniele Ricci has been making unforgettable natural wines from local grapes, most notably the once almost forgotten white variety Timorasso, since the late 90’s when he took over the small family estate. Having married the naturalist ethos, he converted his 8 hectares to organic farming (although he goes way beyond that obviously), while in the cellar he works exclusively with wild fermentations and nothing added nor taken away. None of Ricci’s wines are filtered nor fined and contain very little sulphur. Daniele is quietly confident in this “less is more” philosophy and his son Mattia seems equally reassured about the future and sustainability of their azienda. Often quite extended skin contact for the whites infuses them with depth of emotion and complexity, as is the case with Daniele’s beautifully successful experimentation with local wood such as chestnut and acacia and guided oxidation.