Fontefico - Pecorino Superiore La Canaglia 2021
Fontefico Description
This golden-hued Pecorino has lovely texture and weight balanced by minerality and a refreshing streak. Delicate balsamic and herbal notes lead to floral hints, with grapefruit citrus overtones and a bitter almond note on the finish.
The grapes come from the single vineyard ‘Vigna Bianca’, in the Terre di Chieti subregion of DOC Abruzzo. The vines are planted at 120 metres above sea-level, at a density of 4,000 vines per hectare and with an easterly orientation. The vineyard is significantly influenced by the Adriatic Sea, which is just one kilometer away; the salty winds breeze through the vineyards, ventilating the canopies, keeping the vines healthy, cooling the vines during hot years and imparting a salty tang to the wine. This natural aeration assists organic viticulture; the vines are only treated with copper and powdered sulphur. The vineyard is sustainably cultivated, all operations take place by hand and grass cover crops offer balanced nutrition for the vines; acting as a solar panel in spring and as insulation during the summer. The clay, iron-rich soil is very dark and rich in humus and insects.
The wine's name refers to its vigor; 'la canaglia' translates as 'rascal', as despite all the attention it receives, it is a low-yielding vineyard, producing just 38 hectolitres per hectare, and 'never wants to put any more effort into producing more grapes'. However, it is forgiven each vintage, as it naturally produces concentrated berries bursting with flavour balanced by natural freshness. The grapes are manually harvested into 20 kilogram crates.