THE WHITE SOIL OF COCCONATO

At Cocconato, the large clay and yellow sand beds present in the province of Asti, alternate to beds of chalk and limestone with white and soft marls – called in Piedmontese dialect THOU BIANC, white tuff – that break up in the sun giving the soil a light colour. These soils are traditionally saved for red grapes vineyards because they yield strong yet elegant wines. So it was a surprise to discover that here the white wines become savoury, intense, scented and long-lasting. In the land eastern of the Pieve Farmhous we grow a Chardonnay fruit of the italian varietal research together with some precocious biotypes of Burgundy.

VINEYARD

Varietal: Chardonnay
Vineyard: Fronte vineyard, Bricco della Pieve, Cocconato
Altitude: 330 metres a.s.l.
Soil: limestone with white marls, white tuff
Vine training technique: low spurred cordon

WINEMAKING

After pressing of the grapes is the fermentation of the must that is made limpid through cold clarification; no malo-lactic fermentation, the wine ages “sur lie” (French for on lees, without racking) for six months in steel vats.

WINE

Monferrato proved to be an excellent area for white grapes that here ripen well and, if harvested early, give a top quality product mantaining a balanced sugar and acidity ratio. This Chardonnay shows all of the character of the terroir in terms of “muscatés” scents; on the other hand, it is also recognaizable for its bouquet of orange blossoms, acacuia, linden, banana and honey. The palate is dry, fine and ample not having aged in the barriques: when this is the case, the wine expresses its best character after two to five years of ageing in the bottles.