2021 Villa Dora 'Vigna del Vulcano' Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco DOC

Caprettone (80%) and Falanghina (20%) grapes

Villa Dora is the passion of Vincenzo Ambrosio, and it is his enthusiasm for this estate and the striking wines grown here that has made the project possible. Now his equally enthusiastic nephew Vincenzo Orabona is at its helm.

The organically farmed vineyards of Villa Dora are on the lower southern slopes of Mt. Vesuvius, within the National Park. The soil, or ground-up pumice really, looks like dark grey Grape-Nuts, and the wines are strikingly flavorful and distinctive.

The grape is Caprettone...which is thought to be genetically identical to Coda di Volpe, another native Campanian variety that grows more inland in the Apennines. All of the vines at Villa Dora are ungrafted, due to the volcanic soil. Winemaking is very straightforward, the fruit is pressed after about an hour of maceration, then fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts at reduced temperature until dry. The wine is aged on the fine lees for 8 months and normally stays in the tank for about a year before bottling.

Minerality is a complicated term, but this wine really does make us ponder the translation of minerals in the soil to minerals in the wine- it is unapologetically smokey, smoldering matchstick, which is a note common to the wines from this area. Its silkiness and concentration make it a serious sipper, best offset with a meal of burrata and fresh tomatoes, big, herby farro salads, and lemony roast chicken.