2023 Maria Ernesta Berucci "Raphael" Rosato Lazio IGT

This Cesanese is quintessentially Piglio. It has a darker fruit profile than Olevano Cesanese with more tannin, balanced with a floral pepper note Pairs well with red meets and ripe cheeses, while still being light on the palate.

Lazio is the region surrounding Rome and, as does the rest of Italy, has a long history of winemaking, though the wines remain relatively obscure. Lazio is actually a fascinating land with limestone and volcanic soils. Here, producers were making natural/minimal intervention wines for export before it was trendy. Cesanese is perhaps the most well know red varietal of this area, with this particular wine made of the two biotypes: Cesanese Commune, Cesanese d’Affile.

Maria Ernesta Berucci began making wine from her family’s vineyards in 2009, and ever since she has been on our radar. She is practicing organic in the vineyards, but goes beyond and applies a biodynamic approach. The wine is spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, and no addition of sulphites or other enzymes and additives. Her wines have an aliveness that's hard to explain without having tasted it yourself, give it a try! you won't be disappointed.