Mille IGT Roccamonfina Rossa I Cacciagalli 2019

Mille IGT Roccamonfina Rossa I Cacciagalli 2019 Biodynamic red wine, Pallagrello, Piedirosso, medium bodied, savoury palate, sensational, complex dark fruit aromas. This rare little wine from Campania is surprisingly memorable. On tasting the 2019 vintage, I was amazed by the complexity and depth of the aroma. But I shouldn’t be. These maturing vines are on incredible Volcanic soils in the Roccamonfina area near Caserta. They are farmed Biodynamically and all intervention is removed from the wine making. Pallagrello offers superb rich, dark fruit aromas and Piedirosso, a local grape which is little known, gives the wine that authentic, southern Italian savoury touch. Quintessentially Italian for anything, meat, pasta, hard cheese.

I Cacciagalli is the name given to the area of land where Diana and Mario Basco have started their biodynamic wine estate.

The 9 hectares of vines are located in a small hamlet a couple of kilometres outside the town of Teano in the province of Caserta. The estate lies in the shadow of the inactive volcano Roccamonfina which gives rise to the complex volcanic terrain which impart such character to the wines. The volcanic soil is rich in minerals and in particular potassium and is very fertile. The surrounding woodland is full of chestnut and hazelnut trees, pine and many wild flowers and other fruits. This place is an oasis of calm where nature flourishes and here Mario and Diana live out their dream of creating high quality natural wines.Diana is an agronomist and the land has been in her family for generations, when she met passionate wine connoisseur Mario, they started their biodynamic farm and are now fully certified. They have started to ferment some of the wines in clay ovoid eggs, buried deep in the centuries old winery at their home, as well as using skin contact for the whites. The reds, are rich and elegant with long ageing potential.Cacciagalli is located in an ancient building which stretched back centuries to a time when it was the house of the noble family who owned the local land and rented it to peasants. The building houses a 500 year old cellar where Mario stores the wines once bottled. There is a true sense of nature and history at play at the beautiful estate. The wines have the finesse and style to match.