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Andrea Picchioni’s desire to recover the traditional, nearly-forgotten wines of his native Oltrepò Pavese began in 1988. He started almost from scratch with a selection of vertigo-inducing vineyards that had been abandoned long before.
His 10 hectares of vines are located in the Solinga Valley, on the northern end of the Apennine mountain range, on south/southwest-facing slopes, reaching up to 220 meters. The amphitheater-like valley is filled with uncultivated wild, dense forests seemingly with its own sort of flora & fauna.
Picchioni’s deep respect for his homeland and the frighteningly steep slopes demand that everything is done by hand, as the rows are situated top-to-bottom, rather than side-to-side like similar vineyards in the winemaking world.
All his vineyards are organic certified, weed management is done entirely by hand, all of the grape pomace and vine clippings are used as mulch for the vines, and he has a strict no-till farming practice, to minimize erosion while reducing carbon emissions.
The soils here are compacted sands mixed with extremely hard granite-like cobblestones, with a high level of quartz and tons of organic matter in the topsoil, a result of Picchion’s no-till methods. The lower slopes are more chalky, while the higher areas have a more loamy mixture of sand & clay.
Rosso d’Asia is one of Picchioni’s most important wines, produced only in the best vintages, and named for his daughter Asia, who drew the illustration on the label when she as a child. Grapes from 30+ year old vines are completely destemmed, undergoing neutral co-fermentation in concrete vats. They’re macerated on the skins for at least 2 months, then aged in 20hL Slovenian botte for 2 years. Bottled unfined & unfiltered, it then rests 6 months before release.
Fleshy & muscular, broad-shouldered & brooding with spice & substance, but gentle structure. The long vinification on the skins brings a dark earthiness to balance the youthful, dense fruit.
Ripe wild berries, sour cherry, spices, vanilla, licorice, leather, and the signature balsamic note of grapes grown in the Solinga Valley. Rich & well-rounded, it’s full-bodied with fine grained tannins, making it a perfect pair for roasted lamb, hearty pastas, salami, or wild mushroom risotto.
90% Croatina, 10% Uhgetta. Organic.
