Tenuta Anfosso Luvaira Rossese di Dolceacqua Superiore 2018
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Brilliant ruby ??red color, the nose predominates the fruity note of cassis and wild strawberry.In the mouth it is warm. Perfectly corresponding to the nose, with good acidity, balanced.
Anfosso is blessed with incredible raw material, enabling them to craft wines of this quality. The average age of the estate’s vine is ancient, including their Poggio Pini cru, planted in the late 19th century, and their even older pre-phylloxera Rossesse Bianco. These slopes are impossibly steep and can only be worked by hand, which is made possible by hand-built dry-stone terraces.
Alessandro Anfosso (joined by his wife, Marisa Perrotti) is the sixth generation of his family to work this land. His great-grandfather Giacomo replanted their Poggio Pini vineyard in 1888. Alessandro's father Luciano still lives in the steep hills among the vines and is currently 87 years old. He has a stunning 77 harvests under his belt!
At 5.5 hectares, Anfosso is one of the 3 largest estates in this DOC, a zone that currently has only 80-90 hectares planted, down from 3,000 in pre-phylloxera times. In fact, there were more vines planted here than in the Langhe at that time. In other words, it is a forgotten gem of ancient viticulture, with a few remaining artisans who are eking out a living in this unforgiving terrain that is capable of producing world-class wines. Alessandro Anfosso is certainly among the best of them.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
Forming a crescent along Italy’s northwestern Mediterranean coast, Liguria is one of the country’s smallest regions. Though its ports, Genoa and Savona have welcomed foreign influence for centuries, the region today is experiencing a fresh interest in its own indigenous varieties. Liguria commits large efforts to the white Vermentino (also called Pigato) and the red varieties Rossese, Sangiovese and Dolcetto (also called Ormeasco in Liguria).
Liguria has no shortage of dizzyingly steep, coastal vineyards. On its eastern end in Cinqueterre, Vermentino grows along cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. On its west, bordering France, terraced, seaside vineyards are home to Rossese di Dolceacqua, Liguria’s powerful yet highly aromatic red.