Marche Rosso 2021

At 30, Nico Speranza left a corporate job in Milan to pursue winemaking in the countryside—a decision he says many are making these days. Set among the steep hills of Monsampietro Morico in Le Marche, the winery was founded by his grandfather, Domenico Speranza. Nico’s goal is simple: to make “conscientious wine, the most natural way possible, without ulterior motives and shortcuts.” His cuvées are inspired by poets, often from Piedmont, and lyricists, such as Nick Cave, reflecting his poetic approach to winemaking. With an annual production of just a few thousand bottles, Nico's wines evolve each year, using local Le Marche varieties like Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Pecorino, and Incrocio Bruni (Verdicchio-Sauvignon), as well as some Petit Verdot. Sustainability is key, with geothermal and solar energy powering the winery. Nico works organically, using minimal copper to protect the fruit. He experiments with microoxygenation, extended lees aging, and even vinifies Sangiovese as a white wine. His vines are planted close together to maximise ripening, and everything is done manually in the vineyard.

Petit Verdot, Marcelan, Sangiovese picked in the first days of October and the Montepulciano at the end. The Montepulciano row & vines spaced 1 & 2 meters apart, respectively producing low yields, and these grapes are dried for 30 days in the fruit cellar. When the grapes arrive in the cellar they are destemmed without undergoing any crushing (the grapes ferment whole) without the use of sulfur. Fermentation takes place at a temperature of around 15 ° C (60 days to complete fermentation) with maceration of the skins until the end of the same. In March the wine is assembled and aged for two years in a mix of French oak and steel tank. Again, no sulfur additions are made.

Ripe yet slightly dried red plums, raspberry, currants & sloe berries. Nicely aged with the extended oak use, smoothing off the edges. Minty, eucalyptus, spicy, but powdery tannins, heat comes at the end but the dried fruit lends itself to the alcohol and is balanced in spite of ABV.

Mature cheeses

Bang in the middle of Central Eastern Italy, Le Marche sits somewhat unfairly in the shadows of its regional neighbours Tuscany and Umbria. With the beautiful Adriatic coast to the east and the rugged Apennine mountain range to the west it brings a range of soils, indigenous grapes and microclimates. Moving inland from the coastal chalk and limestone it boasts a number of DOC/DOCGS mixed between reds and (more numerous) whites. On the red side the ubiquitous Montepulcianco and Sangiovese dominate in wines like Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno whereas on the white side Pecorino, Bianchello, Passerina and certainly the star of the show Verdicchio, might even consider Le Marche their spiritual home.