La Valle del Sole Piceno Superiore DOP '20

I am obsessed with the wines of La Vallee del Sole. Producing wine in the southern Marche is no easy task. It is quite warm, and most of the wines that I’ve tasted from the area are usually overblown and alcoholic. It takes a lot of hard work in the vineyard and skill in the winery to produce wines with balance. 

Hailing from 11 hectares of certified-organic vineyards in historic Offida, La Valle del Sole is a fourth-generation family estate led by Silvano di Nicolò and his daughters Alessia and Valeria. Alongside of Alessia is her husband, Alessandro d’Angelo, who you can often find working in their beautiful vineyards. 

Cultivating native varieties like Pecorino, Passerina, and Montepulciano with vines aged between 20 and 60 years, they’ve honed an approach rooted in listening to the land—organic, hands-on farming that started in earnest in 1990.
Their Piceno Superiore is a red wine that is distinctly Southern Marche. A blend of 80% Montepulciano and 20% Sangiovese. The vineyards are composed largely of clay, with south and east exposure. 

In the winery, the grapes are destemmed with fermentation of the skins in concrete tanks, further aging in the cement vats for 12 months, and an additional year in 24 hectoliter used oak barrels. This medium bodied red, and a combination of red and dark berry fruit and spice. An excellent example of a Piceno Superiore. 

Pair this with your favorite pasta with ragù or this is especially tasting paired with game birds such as squab.