2015 Cenatiempo Biancolella

Region: Ischia < Campania < Italy
Grapes: Biancolella
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Biodynamic farming; high altitude (over 600ft), soils featuring the typical “tufo verde,” minimal SO2 added at bottling
Winemaker: Pasquale Cenatiempo

A second wine this month from the tiny island of Ischia? Maybe Rock Juice central has been tasting a lot of these wines in anticipation of their July visit and are very inspired . And we seriously love volcanic island whites, especially when the weather heats up. And Ischia is the ultimate volcanic island, dramatically jutting out of the Mediterranean in the Bay of Naples, crowned by a dramatic castle. And the whites epitomize the flinty, zesty, salty character of coastal volcanic terroirs that make us swoon. While wine has been made on this estate since the 1600’s, Pasquale’s family founded the present-day winery nearly 100 years ago, always guided by the notion that wine is made in the vineyards not the cellar. Biancolella is a native varietal mainly used in blends, but here takes center stage in this voluptuous, peachy white. It’s pretty and feminine, with citrus flour, ripe pear, those luscious peaches and delicate white flowers.