Il Verro
Terre del Volturno | Formicola
Il Verro is rooted in a friendship among five teenagers who met in the 1960s. Some 40 years later, they reconvened where they had spent their childhoods. Amid 14 hectares agriculture are 4 hectares reserved for vines—all wildly rare grapes indigenous to this remote reach of northern Campania. Volcanic soils have discouraged both phylloxera and replanting, gifting the region with a wealth of native grapes—casavecchia, pallagrello nero and bianco, and the ultra-rare coda di pecora. Respect for these historic varieties compel Cesar and his team to organic farming practices and a purist cellar style.
Il Verro 2021 "Verginiano" Pallagrello Bianco
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the local ruling family treasured this variety, earning it a spot in the royal vineyards, as Ian D’Agata points out in his Native Wine Grapes of Italy. But, the author notes, by the late 20th century, no one in Italy was producing a monovarietal pallagrello wine. Cesare explains that forces of powdery mildew and phylloxera “decreed a fast disappearance and substantial oblivion despite the undoubted qualities of these grapes.” Now he and a small handful of other producers are committed to their revival. Pallagrello bianco has always been most at home in northern Campania, where the climate suits its high-acid profile and tempers its inclination to rapid sugar accumulation. This expression is fermented in stainless steel with a further 6 months of stainless steel elevage, simply done to maximize varietal expression. Pallagrello Bianco is straw-yellow, with a nose of melon, almond, broom flowers, and mint. On the palate, it is fresh and long.
- 2021
- Pallagrello Bianco
- Italy
- Compania
- Terre del Volturno
- Certified Organic
- Volcanic, sand
- 6 months stainless steel
- Stainless steel
- <1.0
- 750 ml
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