Marchese Adorno Oltrepo Pavese Bonarda 2012
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The winery of the Adorno family, of which the Marchese Marcello is the last descendant, has very ancient origins. Documented in Genoa since the thirteenth century, the family had seven dogi among the exponents of Genoese public life. It was in Spain that the Adornos linked their name to the production of Generalife wine, a Jerez-type wine produced from Pedro Ximenez passite grapes. Until 1997, the winery produced bulk wine: it was with the entry into the company of the Marquis Marcello that he began a profound work of restructuring the cellar and the deification processes, culminating with the launch of the famous Marquis Adorno.
Bonarda is a name given to a handful of distinct grape varieties, mainly growing in Italy and in Argentina. In Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese and Emilia Romagna’s Colli Piacentini zones, the grape called Bonarda is actually Croatina. In Novara, Bonarda Novarese, often blended with Spanna (Nebbiolo), is actually Uva Rara. DNA profiling shows that most of the Bonarda in Argentina is actually identical to California’s Charbono—and Charbono is actually the Douce Noire grape from Savoie. Somm Secret—Bonarda Piemontese, an aromatic variety, is the only true Bonarda. Before phylloxera, it covered 30% of Piedmontese vineyard acreage.
Containing an exciting mix of wine producing subregions, Lombardy is Italy’s largest in size and population. Good quality Pinot noir, Bonarda and Barbera have elevated the reputation of the plains of Oltrepò Pavese. To its northeast in the Alps, Valtellina is the source of Italy’s best Nebbiolo wines outside of Piedmont. Often missed in the shadow of Prosecco, Franciacorta produces collectively Italy’s best Champagne style wines, and for the fun and less serious bubbly, find Lambrusco Mantovano around the city of Mantua. Lugana, a dry white with a devoted following, is produced to the southwest of Lake Garda.