The white Elleboro has become DOC Bolgheri!

From the 2023 harvest our Elleboro can boast the DOC Bolgheri denomination

The DOC Bolgheri regulations, in fact, have recently increased the percentage of Viognier that is permitted in the DOC white blend up to 100%, meaning that it can produce pure Viognier.

The blend

What changes compared to the wine you already know? Surely, given the excellent evolution of our Viognier rows, we are moving towards giving these grapes an ever greater importance and weight in the blend.

In fact, the percentage of Viognier has increased over the years from around 50% in the first vintages to over 70% in 2023. And we do not exclude evaluating a further increase in the future based on the yield and quality of the grapes.

The Viognier

Viognier is a grape variety with a particular history, probably originating from the northern Rhône area, an area first mentioned in 1781 (Rézeau, 1997; Robinson et al., 2012), but which over the years has disappeared due to poor productivity first and then damage from phylloxera.

DNA analysis has shown that 'Viognier' has a parent-offspring relationship with 'Mondeuse blanc' (Vouillamoz, 2008) and which is therefore related to 'Syrah' and belongs to the ampelographic family called 'Sérine'. It also has close genetic relationships with 'Freisa' and therefore 'Nebbiolo'.

In the 1960s and 1970s, there were only about ten producers of Viognier in the Condrieu area on about 14 hectares of land. It is thanks to George Vernay, nicknamed “the Pope of Condrieu” that Viognier was saved. A visionary winemaker and convinced of the goodness of the Condrieu soils, where vine cultivation had practically disappeared, Vernay decided to revive Viognier.

Since the 1980s, the vine has experienced a revival with great diffusion also thanks to its resistance to hot climates and drought, a peculiarity that makes it suitable to face the increase in temperatures caused by climate change. Around 2010, the hectares of vineyards rose to more than 3,000 in France and more than 1,300 in Italy, where until 2000 it was not cultivated at all.

Its low productivity, both in terms of number of bunches per plant and their weight, makes it suitable for productions focused on the qualitative and aromatic aspect of the wine. Furthermore, it requires a medium warm climate to reach full ripeness, so we think that the Bolgheri area, where the rows benefit from both the heat and the refreshing effect of sea breezes, is a place where Viognier can express good results.

Harvest and winemaking

In the past years we harvested the grapes between the last days of August and the first days of September, all strictly by hand and during the early hours of the morning, so as to reach the cellar with a cooler temperature. We destemmed them and selected the grapes one by one, put them in the press limiting the contact with oxygen and vinified at low temperatures. In this way we tried to preserve its characteristic aromas. The vinification and refinement was done in steel tanks, where the Viognier remained until last February 1st. After that it was filtered and bottled and after resting in the bottle for about a couple of months, in order to re-establish its balance, it is now ready for wine lovers.

 

The bottle will not look so different from previous vintages because we wanted to keep the same label that you already know, adding only a small auspicious detail to underline the transition to the prestige of the DOC: a bee, symbol of vitality, biodiversity and future for the life of the planet, has in fact delicately landed on the B of Elleboro.

This little insect is meant to be more than an ornament: for us, it represents the confirmation, with the adoption of organic farming practices from the beginning, of our constant and tangible commitment to reduce environmental impact and promote the conservation of nature.