Valentina Passalacqua Sottoterra 2017 1L

Story

The 2017 Sottoterra from Valentina Passalacqua in these rustic looking 1L bottles is absolutely stunning! Authentic biodynamic wines, without any of that fancy marketing, these are rustic and damn tasty!!

Valentina’s family own a successful marble mining company, which essentially made money from taking from the land so Valentina wanted to create a Biodynamic vineyard to give something back to the soil and the land from which she is from. Both the Calcarius and Valentina Passalacqua wines are defined by these calcareous soils, which create mineral, moreish and perfectly balanced expressions of classic Puglian grapes like the Nero di Troia and Negroamaro of the Sottoterra.

“I started making wine 10 years ago … a love that comes from the sky and the light of my land. I make wine as a mother of two daughters to give back to them that sea of colours that my land gives me … I make wine to give light, to my family, to the men and women who work for me … I make wine humanizing every day through the light. The supremacy of absolute light, blinding, a unique inclination of light that facilitates the maturation and draws the long linear profile of my wines, preserving the aromatic and human complexity. I cultivate 80 hectares of vineyards from traditional varieties on the Gargano to the north of Puglia and on a calcareous white stone land of Kimmeridgian origin that uniquely characterizes the sharp and salty expression of my wines. I vinify all the grapes according to the natural method in search of production minimalism that enhances the Mediterranean vocation of the climate combined with the millennial history of my places. I make natural wine above all to sit down at the table with the people I love, drink my wines, enjoy the harmony with food and excite me… “.

The Valentina Passalacqua Sottoterra is a bright and juicy wine with some tart acidity up top, sour cherry vibes. A kiss of tannins at the end with a sour and tart, tannic structure. 30 mins after opening, the acidity mellows out and transforms the wine a little, giving it a delicious new profile. Like a mix between a fine Pinot noir and a Cantillon lambic. Nothing fake here. Best enjoyed slightly chilled.

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