2017 Claudio Plessi Muntanera Rosato of Uva Tosca

Region: Emilia Romagna < Italy Grape: Uva Tosca Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Biodynamic farming and winemaking; silty clayloam soils that are super calcareous, having been a riverbed 1000+years ago; made in the ancestral method, bottle fermentation, notdisgorged; no added So2; 12% ABV Winemaker: Claudio PlessiIn 1958, Claudio’s parents planted a vineyard on their land nearModena, training the vines to elm trees.  A professor of agriculture,Claudio took over the estate in 1986 and founded Il Salto, aconsortium of biodynamic farmers and natural winemakers.  He's alsopart of the Vignaioli Artigiani Naturali (association of naturalwine-makers), whose objective is producing integral and vital winesusing hand-picked grapes from one’s own vineyard.  If only Californiahad such organization and structure around natural wine....but back toClaudio.  In 2004, he planted 3.5 hectares of rare, hyper-localvarieties around his parents' home, allowing cover crops to growbetween the vines as they please. I