La Stoppa Macchiona 2010

La Stoppa Macchiona 2010

La Stoppa
$50.00

Grape: Barbera/Croatina
Vintage: 2010
Type: Red

This traditional red wine is an artisanal estate blend combining equal parts Barbera and Croatina from old vines. Elena Pantaleoni utilizes low-intervention protocols, allowing the hand-picked grapes to ferment spontaneously with native wild vineyard yeasts. The winemaking incorporates a thirty-day skin maceration inside neutral tanks, prioritizing an infusion process over forced extraction. The wine matures for a year in large Slavonian oak botti followed by extensive cellar bottle aging.

It shows a deep garnet color, releasing a complex nose of dark plum, blackberry, sweet tobacco, and cedar shavings. On the palate, the full-bodied, robust frame pairs concentrated dark fruit flavors with a serious, integrated tannin structure. Savory layers of iron, dried leaves, and balsamic nuances unfold as the fluid mouthfeel expands across the tongue. A clean thread of natural acidity cuts through the volume, maintaining excellent freshness. It finishes completely dry, leaving a savory trace.

La Stoppa is an old winery in Emilia Romagna originally founded by a wealthy lawyer in the late 1800's.  Elena Pantaleoni's father purchased the vineyards back in the early 70's.  Elena eventually took the estate over and in 1996 she and head wine maker Giulio Armani decided to replant the entire 32 hectare estate with traditional grape varieties: Barbera and Bonarda.  At some point in the past the vineyards had been replanted with international varieties but Elena and Giulio felt those grapes just didn't handle Emilia's climate as well as the native grapes did.  That decision to turn their backs on modern commercial winemaking set them on a path to focus more and more on local traditional wine making. 

The farming has been organic since the early 1990's; certification came in 2008.  Elena Pantaleoni, a dedicated, intelligent and passionate grower, works closely with her enologist Giulio Armani to craft wines expressive of place and grape. Work in the cellar is minimal. Fermentation is entirely with native yeasts; maceration with skins is lengthy; little to no sulfur is used; wines are aged in a range of  Slavonian oak botti and used French barriques; reds are not filtered before bottling; and bottle aging is extended. Elena eschews any DOC classifications, choosing the IGT path instead; she feels that the DOC regulations are too broad in terms of permitted varieties, geographical bounds and production techniques, and not conducive to thoughtful, artisanal winegrowing and winemaking, the priority at the La Stoppa estate.