Lucignolo 2017 Podere San Biagio: An Amphora-Aged White Wine That’s Full of Flavor
We have joked a lot about the trend of wines produced in amphorae, but when this “winemaking tool” is used correctly and consciously, it manages to produce sensational wines. Not so much for depth or complexity as for the almost tactile sensation of the flavors. The roundness, the thickness, or, if we want, the aromatic development, are impressive.
And a wine that masterfully exemplifies this technique is the 2017 Lucignolo white wine in anfora from the Podere San Biagio winery, a blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia that macerates for a long time to extract texture, flavors, and even a touch of tannins. We are not at high levels of orange, but the thickness is pulpy and certainly not like lemon and pear juice, even if the fullness is never at the expense of drinkability.
How it is produced
As you well know, the San Biagio winery is becoming a small but solid point of reference for the production of precise and tasty natural wines. The vineyards are managed organically, and no herbicides, pesticides, or chemicals are used. Harvested in September, with spontaneous fermentation in steel and then aging in amphora on the skins for 90 days.
Organoleptic characteristics
The result is a rich and broad white that is never fat or overpowering. The amphora treatment broadened the aromatic volume and gave consistency by enhancing the fruity part of Malvasia, to which Trebbiano acts as an acidic and savory backbone with its great citrus acidity.
The sea, with its breezes, does the rest as a common thread, making the wine sapid, varied, and very dynamic. Warm, dynamic, and enveloping on the palate, but well balanced by bursts of iodine.
It alternates rock and pulp in a game of contrasts that is never taken for granted. A good ending where the strength of Malvasia re-emerges.
Very delicate tannins; it is the salt that sets the pace.
It is not a difficult, resinous, and too balsamic wine in the hard orange style; indeed, it still focuses on sharp tones and aromatic herbs; it does not launch itself into evolution and the tertiary sector, but puts in just enough flab to be even more inviting.
Price
20–22 is a fair price for a well-made wine.
Pairings
With this beautiful look and depth, dare to combine it with tasty fish dishes, Thai cuisine, Chicken Cacciatore, Vitello Tonnato, pasta alla carbonara, Pad Thai, .
