Italy

Col di Corte, Esino Rosso - Italy, 2020

Brian Hibbard

— 2 min read
Col di Corte, Esino Rosso - Italy, 2020
Photo courtesy of Grape Collective

Fast Facts:

Winemaker(s): Giacomo Rossi, Claudio Caldaroni
Region: Montecarotto -> Le Marche -> Italy
Varietal(s): Montepulciano
Terroir: Clay-limestone soils, 160m elevation
Serving Temp: 60-65°F

Ex-documentary filmmaker Giacomo Rossi is the person behind the Col di Corte bottle of Montepulciano in your hand. In the late 2000s, he was producing Jonathan Nossiter's 'Natural Resistance', a film following four Italian winemakers championing natural systems and battling the DOC system and chemical agriculture. In that process, something clicked, and by 2010 he and some friends bought vineyards and a winery in Montecarotto, immediately converting everything to organic.

Giacomo brought on winemaker Claudio Caldaroni, who's evolved from spending most of his time in the cellar to now spending most of his time in the vineyard, a welcome change! Their work together is structured on the belief that balanced grape growing makes the cellar work simple and straightforward.

The Esino Rosso is Giacomo's idea of making a Montepulciano how and where Verdicchio is made, using the same methods. So unlike a deeply extracted and oak'ified Monte, you're getting some fresh juice with shorter maceration, using all stainless steel and no oak. It's clean and cool, especially with the help from those cool Adriatic breezes rolling through that the Marche is praised for.

Why'd we pick it?

Documentary filmmaker turned winemaker? Very cool. Also the Marche is one of my favorite regions for wine, and so treating Montepulciano like Verdicchio to get this bright, juicy, totally chuggable red instead of the usual tannic beast is a lovely change of pace.

Field Notes

  • Tastes like: Red plums! Yum. Also some red berries, fresh herbs like thyme and summer savory, a smidge of baking spices, and smooooooth tannins.
  • Serve it room temp or throw it in the fridge for 10 minutes before serving.
  • Food Pairings: this one has enough structure for heartier dishes but stays fresh enough that you're not weighed down. Lean into the aromatic herbaceous vibes with this one - roasted cauliflower with chimichurri, pork chops with cranberry-rosemary pan sauce, or any squash and sage combo would SLAY. Or try a sunchoke soup, you could top with crispy pancetta if you're feeling fancy.

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