La Guardiense, Coste Del Duca, Aglianico, DOP, Campania, Italy, 2021

Producer Profile

The farming co-operative, La Guardiense, was founded over 60 years ago by 33 farsighted, collaborative farmers. Today membership has grown to nearly 1,000, but still only managing a total of about 1,500 hectares meaning that the fruit comes from a large selection of very small family owned vineyards.

The winery is situated in the Santa Lucia area of Guardia Sanframondi in the very heart of the southern Italian province of Benevento.

Viticulture

Vines from a 35 ha vineyard on clay/ limestone soils at 250m above sea level, planted at a density of 3500 vines per ha.

Winemaking

Careful selection of the grapes, picked by hand using 5kg crates. The grapes are macerated on the skins for 18 days with pumping over in stainless steel tanks. A malolactic fermentation is then made in 500lt Tonneau and aged in Tronçais and Alliers for 6 months, bottled 2 years after the harvest.

Oak Ageing

Time: 6 months
Type: Tronçais and Aliiers Tonneau
% wine oaked: 100
% new oak: None

Tasting Note

The wine has a deep colour with garnet hints. Cherry nuances melt with sweet vanilla notes given by ageing in the wood. On the palate it is full, powerful and intense with a light and soft tannins with a long, mouthfilling finish.

Food Matching

Meaty pasta with tomato sauce, and vegetables soups, roast lamb, pork and game dishes as well as strongly-flavoured cheeses and salamis.