Denavolo "Dinavolino" Vino Bianco 2022

With grapes from the lower slope of a plot in Emilia-Romagna, winemaker Giulio Armani crafts this snappy and characterful white with an eye towards minimal cellar intervention and maximum expressiveness of the region's traditional varieties. Giulio's day job is as the winemaker at La Stoppa, and Denavolo is his personal project.

'Dinavolino' is an unfiltered blend of Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, Marsanne, Ortugo and a yet-unidentified indigenous grape. In this section of the vineyard, vines planted to clay and limestone soils enjoy better access to nutrients and water, resulting in a younger-drinking wine with racy acidity and bright notes of blossom and citrus. 

Hand-harvested — with thorough vineyard sorting — the grapes are destemmed and macerated in stainless steel for eight to nine months. Fermentation is spontaneous and lasts for 15 days without temperature control. The resulting wine is textured and full-bodied with notes of orange marmalade and apricot and a finish reminiscent of Emilia-Romagna's famed Parmigiano Reggiano. Brettanomyces (or Brett) contributes a slight aroma of acetone, adding to the wine's wild and hyperlocal personality. Kate Masters