Winemaker Notes
Perched high above Trento on banks of the Adige River is the hill of Pressano. In these rugged Alpine surroundings, the Cesconi family tends their vineyards planted to both red and white grapes. The current proprietors can trace their family roots back to the 17th century when their great-grandfather, then a citizen of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, would load his oxen with wine to sell to the summer court of the Habsburgs in Innsbruck. After the fall of the eastern dynasty, the Cesconi family would sell most of its productions to inns and taverns of Trento. Building on more than 2 centuries of cultivating and producing wine in Trentino, the four Cesconi brothers - Lorenzo, Roberto, Alexander and Franco - as well as their father Paul, continue the family tradition.
The family has a deep appreciation and respect for the achievements of their ancestors, however, they seek to build on this history by perfecting the traditional practices of the Domaine. To that end, Paul and Alexander work entirely organically in the vineyards and continue to move towards biodynamic methods. They believe that these practices are best for preserving the health and quality of their vineyards and for producing the best fruit. The vineyards of Cesconi are the gem of the Domaine; with more than two centuries as vignerons, their old vines, some over hundred years old, are more of a family heirloom than a financial asset.
Roberto and Lorenzo are quick to point out that there is no "recipe" for winemaking at Cesconi - one must provide room to interpret what nature has provided for each vintage and vineyard. Roberto and Lorenzo are interpreters, curators, of what the environment has provided for them. Fermentations are with native yeasts, and the white grapes usually undergo a short four to five day skin-fermentation in a process that is called, "Alzetta di Capello" or the rising of the cap. Grapes are placed in large oak or acacia fermenters with skins and stems with juice only taken off after the cap has begun to rise. No sulfur is used during vinification or elevage and large wood vessels of 3,000-5,000 liters are preferred for the aging of the white wines. Some smaller barrels are used for the reds, but the wood is neutral with new barrels only being purchased when absolutely necessary. Red macerations are kept relatively short to preserve aromatics and freshness and punchdown rather than pump over is generally preferred.
The southern part of Italy’s northeastern Alpine region, Trentino, produces quality wines from international varieties. But its most exceptional native variety, Teroldego, with plantings concentrated around the sandy, gravelly, limestone soils of its Campo Rotaliano district, makes a deep purple-hued red wine with scents and flavors of wild blackberry, herbs, espresso and cocoa.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.