Crama Delta Dunarii, La Sapata, Aligoté - Romania, 2023
Fast Facts
Vintage: 2023
Winemaker(s): Roberto di Fillipo
Region: Sarica Niculitel, Dobrogea Hills, Romania
Varietal(s): Aligoté
Terroir: Danube River Delta, Eastern Romania, Sandy loam
If the wine label looks a little familiar, you may remember some time ago we clubbed an Umbrian red wine from Plani Arche, Roberto di Fillipo and Elena Pompeii’s horse-powered winery situated on a hillside where Saint Francis of Assisi once gave his sermons to the masses. Well, it was in Romania, where Roberto di Fillipo along with his business partner, Roberto Pieroni learned the attentiveness of tillage by horse-drawn plow and a wine-making style that was spartan by necessity.
In a countryside that has seen a local exodus to larger cities, the Crama Delta Dunarii winery sits in the hilly riparian slopes near the Danube River, in Eastern Romania. With ethical production, the winery led by the two Robertos, pays respect to the area by hiring locals and investing in the land, where others have all too often left by necessity. Along with certified organic farming methods, the La Sapata project utilizes horse-drawn plows- once traditionally employed by many generations.
Aligoté, more often remembered as Burgundy’s “other” white grape, exhibits the riparian slope’s sandy, poor soils with lush edges, and a little reductiveness– a touch grassy but refreshing and breezy, stretching to capture some sense of minerality left in the soil.
Why'd we pick it?
Having enjoyed wine from Roberto di Fillipo’s other Umbrian winery, Plani Arche, I had to know more about his Romanian project, La Sapata. Some of the same horse-drawn farming methods he used in Romania were brought to the rolling hills of Umbria. This and the social impact from rebuilding community in rural Romania seemed like a well worthwhile cause to support.
Field Notes
- Tastes like green apple, wet stone, fresh grass, and a hint of lemon zest with mineral undertones.
- Serve it cold, but not ice cold. 50-55ºF range is perfect.
- Drink it alongside some oily white fish, Black Cod or Grouper, seared alongside summer tomatoes and late season peaches.
