2021 La Vecchia Posta "Rosso Ciliegio" (Ciliegiolo) Colli Tortonesi

100% certified organic Ciliegiolo from a historic vineyard in Tassare, planted in the 1960s by the Baiardi family.  Native yeast fermentation, vinification and aging in stainless steel only with minimal sulphur additions. 13.66% alcohol. 

Ciliegiolo is a red grape variety of central and northwestern Italy, something of an obscurity in past decades but now undergoing a renaissance. The grape’s name comes from an Italian word for cherry, a fruit which Ciliegiolo wines resemble both in color and aroma. Rich aromas and flavors of ripe cherry, blackberry, tobacco, vanilla and black pepper. Medium full bodied.

 The vines of La Vecchia Posta sit high in the Colli Tortonesi, in the village of Avolasca, amid the gentle foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Here Roberto Semino cultivates 3.5 hectares of vineyard dedicated to native grapes of the Piedmont: the rare and glorious Timorasso, sprightly Cortese, bright Barbera, and fresh Dolcetto. The Tortoniano soils are ideally matched to this suite of varieties. Roberto was among the very first to farm organically in Italy, starting in the 1980s. His work with the land is based on a trust in nature and informed by a deep appreciation of biodiversity. In the cellar, he relies on spontaneous ferments, few to no added sulphites, elevage in stainless for the whites and tonneau for the reds, all to allow for the pure expression of the high hills and their proximity to forest, mountain, and sea.