2022 Poggio Anima Il Mostro 'Longana' Rosato Frizzante
2022 Poggio Anima Il Mostro 'Longana' Rosato Frizzante
Region: Chieti < Abruzzo < Italy
Grapes: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic farming; some whole cluster; ancestral method with bottle fermentation; unfermented juice used to top off bottles before crown capping, released undisgorged, with minimal SO2 at bottling only; 12.5% ABV
Winemaker: Riccardo Campinoti + Nicola JasciNEW VINTAGE! Poggio Anima is a joint venture between one of Tuscany's biodynamic leaders, Riccardo Campinoti of 'Le Ragnaie' (and maker of this orange wine and this light red in the April mix) and his American importer, Ronnie Sanders from Vine Street imports. They call their series of pet'nats 'll Mostro' (“The Monster”) after the bedtime tales European parents use to make their kids shut up and go to sleep. Poggio Anima translates to ‘Hill of Soul', because Riccardo explains the goal of the project is "to capture the ‘soul’ of each vineyard and grape. No manipulation, no water, sugar, etc. Just the pure expression of the fruit and site."
The grapes for Longana hail from the Jasci family's certified organic Monteodorisio Vineyard in Chieti. Sebastiano Jasci pushed for organic farming and became one of the first certified organic vineyards in Italy in 1978. Today their son Nicola has taken over the winemaking and is continues to push forward in the vineyard as well as the cellar. We love the inspiration of the name, explained by Nicola: "Longana is a mythological creature that calls the caves above the cliffs of the northern Adriatic Sea home. 'Longana' have limbs of a goat which aide in traversing the mountains of Alto Adige and the Veneto, but are frequently spotted in the sea. They are stunningly beautiful creatures that have been known to woo humans with their highly evolved knowledge of nature."
This is a such a beautiful bottle, inside and out! The color might be deep watermelon and look full-bodied, don't let that fool you. This is bright, dry and chalky, and tastes like cherry seltzer infused with strawberry, peach and sea salt. Rosé all day baby!