Today’s Story: Pietro Caciorgna
Pietro Caciorgna is a very small family-owned and operated farm and winery based in Casole d ‘Elsa of the Siena province of Tuscany. Giovanni and Fulvia Caciorgna moved to this countryside location in 1953 with their seven children and set about farming cereals, corn, sunflower, and cattle fodder. Fortunately for us, the family also practiced viticulture for their own consumption which spawned into the wines for purchase today. Having grown their property to 20 hectares, the Caciorgna family farms 2.3 hectares of Sangiovese planted in 2001 on the hill of Osteria delle Macchie in Tuscany and branched into Sicily to produce their Etna Rosso. Pietro and his wife Elda manage the day-to-day of the estate, and their philosophy is to produce quality wines while caring for the environment. For instance, they use zero chemical fertilizers in the vineyards and only copper and sulfur when necessary to produce honest and terroir-driven wines. The family was driven to start a new venture in Sicily in 2006 by none other than Marco de Grazia (behind Tenuta delle Terre Nere) where they purchased a small 0.5 hectare vineyard of Nerello Mascalese before expanding with the purchase of another just over 1 hectare in size. Pietro also purchases some fruit from his neighbors and produces his wines in a small cellar located in Rovittello, yet the drive for quality and terroir-driven wines remains the same.
Today’s Wine: 2016 Guardoilvento Etna Rosso
100% Nerello Mascalese; 13.5% ABV
The 2016 Guardoilvento Etna Rosso is medium garnet in color with ruby hues and moderately opaque. I decanted this for about an hour which allowed the nose to showcase aromas of ripe red cherry, stemmy strawberry, dried raspberry, tomato paste, red rose, leather, dried earth, rocky mineral, and pine. Once in the mouth, this wine displays notes of baked cherry, raspberry, red licorice, red and purple florals, thyme, crushed rock, tobacco, volcanic earth, allspice, and earthy mineral. This is medium-bodied with vibrant medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish.
Price: $30. This is an outstanding value and another example of why I love Etna Rosso so much. For those unfamiliar with Etna Rosso and a step deeper the variety Nerello Mascalese, I highly suggest giving them a try. Pair this with pork chops, veal parm, or tomato sauce pasta.
JB's Wine Talk 