Tenuta del Conte, Ciro Rosso Classico Superiore 2018

Grapes are harvested from Almería and Marinetto vineyards which sit at 20 meters above sea level in black clay and calcareous clay soils. Fermentation is spontaneous in steel for 24 months.

The Cirò DOC is a picturesque corner of the Mediterranean, along the Ionian coast, in the eastern foothills of the Calabria region, a large peninsula that forms the toe to Italy’s boot. The Parrilla family, who own and run Tenuta del Conte, have been making wine here for four generations, the latest of which to take over the estate are Mariangela, Giuseppe, and Caterina. Tenuta del Conte’s first vineyards were planted in 1960 by Francesco Parrilla, who began by selling fruit to the local cooperative, whilst reserving just small amounts to make un-labeled wine for home consumption. 2004 was the first vintage to be labeled under the Tenuta del Conte name and made commercially available. Today the family owns 15 hectares of vineyard land, which is cultivated organically, officially certified from 2014 onwards. The vines are trained according to the Alberello method, which is small bush vines with maximum canopy to protect the fruit from extreme sun exposure.