Most people faced a with the choice of merely a specific color of wine to drink will consider their stated preference between the options of red, white, or rose. Having tried La Stoppa, another color of wine has been added to the selection; orange.
Perhaps the world ought to acknowledge orange as a legitimate fourth color when it comes to wine. I don't know that I'd go that far, but orange wines aren't easy to come by and they represent an added exciting choice. And this wine is a perfect example.
La Stoppa winery began in 1973 with the vision of Rafael Pantaleoni, who purchased the estate with the hopes of making a small amount of wine and an honest living for his family. The land, which occupies a nook in the Piacenza province of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, has been planted with vines for well over 100 years. The estate's original owners left Pantaleoni and his daughter, who now runs the winery, a gift of some extremely old vines growing both Italian and French varieties.
This wine Ageno is made from a combination of three white grape varieties: Malvasia, Trebbiano, and the extremely local variety known as Ortrugo, with the majority of the wine being Malvasia grown on 36-year-old vines.
As a blend this is already somewhat unusual, but things get truly wacky as soon as the grapes are picked and destemmed, for instead of being vinified like a white wine, this one is treated like a red, which means chiefly that it is fermented with native yeasts in contact with its skins for more than 30 days. After this it is pressed off into a combination of steel tanks and neutral oak barrels where it ages on its lees (the sediment that settles to the bottom of the barrel) for 12 months before bottling without filtration of any kind.
As a blend this is already somewhat unusual, but things get truly wacky as soon as the grapes are picked and destemmed, for instead of being vinified like a white wine, this one is treated like a red, which means chiefly that it is fermented with native yeasts in contact with its skins for more than 30 days. After this it is pressed off into a combination of steel tanks and neutral oak barrels where it ages on its lees (the sediment that settles to the bottom of the barrel) for 12 months before bottling without filtration of any kind.
This is the fifth vintage of Ageno of which only about 160 cases are made. This small quantity means that it may be difficult to find, but if you can, it is worth the effort and whatever price you might have to pay, as it represents both a great achievement of artisan winemaking as well as a perfect example of orange wines.
A gorgeous medium amber-orange color in the glass, with a distinct haze of cloudiness, this wine has a phenomenal, almost otherworldly nose of exotic flowers, saffron, and orange. On the palate it is weighty, with a texture that is almost tannic in quality. From a flavor standpoint it is nearly indescribable -- brown sugar, honeysuckle, saffron, cream soda, and unbelievably, the distinct flavor of coffee and cream on a finish that can be measured in minutes. Evolves gorgeously in the glass, and decanting for 1-2 hours prior to serving is recommended, especially if you can keep it cool while decanting.
(quotes above rewritten from "Vinography.com)
(quotes above rewritten from "Vinography.com)
La Stoppa "Ageno" 2006, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Medium price 230, the 4th colour of wine
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