Valle Reale is the winery of the eclectic Leonardo Pizzolo, a young Veronese who at just 28 years, after his studies in Economics and Commerce, dedicates himself to his passion: viticulture. The family, noted the decision (with little action), puts him to the test by eradicating him from his hometown and sending him to manage 8 hectares of vineyard, inherited from distant relatives, in Abruzzo. The first harvest took place in 2000 and, since then, Leonardo is increasingly convinced of this project to which he dedicates, without sparing himself, time, energy and sacrifices.
His winery is located in Popoli, in a famous nature reserve, halfway between Pescara and L’Aquila, 60 kilometers away, as the crow flies, from the sea, without having anything to do with this. The vineyards, on average between 400 and 500 meters above sea level, are in fact protected by the thick Apennines barrier (in particular by Monte Morrone) and live in a mountain environment, with long winters and characterized by low temperatures, and an important thermal shock between day and night. Moreover, their composition, a mix of pebbles of various sizes and silt, is rather meager and poor in nutrients, and this pushes the vines to become stronger and expand their root system in depth, in the difficult attempt to feed themselves. In the subsoil, finally, there is an important underground aquifer so, a little for legal requirements and a little for ethical conviction, it was necessary to embrace a totally organic agriculture, with a large part of the vineyards also converted to biodynamic.
The Cerasuolo Sant’Eusanio takes its name from its vineyard of origin (Sant’Eusanio, in fact), exposed to the north and located at 497 meters above sea level, in the estate’s highest and coldest area, surrounded by pine woods. A few days before the harvest, are picked, from different locations in the vineyard, small quantities of grapes, which are gently pressed and then left to ferment spontaneously. As the various micro-fermentations begin, the grapes are harvested and, after a soft pressing and brief contact (in the press) with the skins, they are added with the pied de cuve previously obtained and then fermented spontaneously. After a six months aging, in steel, the wine is the wine is bottled and marketed.
The 2018 vintage has a pretty pale pink color, with a range of main aromas such as wild strawberry, Ravenna cherry, rose petal and red orange, followed by pomegranate, geranium, raspberry and damp pebble. In the mouth it is initially perceived the perfect balance between softness and refreshing acidity, enriched by a savory-mineral note that progressively, in the center of the palate, conquers space, with a retro-olfactory return of the fresh red fruit and of the floral that accompany the sip until a good length closing.
Rating: 89/100
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