Cabernet Franc Contarini Riserva

Vineyard location and characteristics

This wine is born in the best wine growing area of the Buje region called Contarini-Brazzania where a low yield per hectare allows for the production of extraordinary wines. The vineyards are laid out in an amphitheatre fashion, helping them to ideally utilize the local climate and the mineral-rich white soil.

Vinification and maturing

Alcohol fermentation begins at temperatures ranging from 25 to 28 °C for a duration of 15 to 20 days. The malolactic fermentation and the maturation period take place over 24 months in small oak casks which help pair the rich and noble aromas of wood and grape. What follows next is the blending and the ageing of wine in a big wooden barrel over the span of a year, finishing with an additional 6 months spent in a bottle where the wine is further matured and balanced.

Color

Dark ruby

Bouquet

Primarily herbal, mineral, spicy, comparable to green pepper, spice herbs, gunpowder, carob, followed by notes of dried red berries, English leather, game, vanilla, lightly seared notes (needs to be decanted!), dried green herbs with a slowly developing aromas of black currant and ripe plums, finishing with plum jam

Taste

Soft, warm, delicious, smooth with delicate and well-rounded tannins

Gastronomic recommendation

Red meat with black or green pepper, tagliata with rocket leaf, hare in a spicy sauce, saltimbocca