The four Cesconi brothers have transformed their family estate, in the village of Pressano, into one of the Trentino region’s most admired wineries. The Cesconi family previously sold all their fruit to the local cooperative in nearby Lavis, yet today they make some of Northern Italy’s most exciting white wines.
Stylistically, their whites are more intense and perfumed than those from Friuli, without the weight or fat that some of the top Friuli wines have. Their reds, on the other hand, have more concentration than their Friulian counterparts.
The brothers have researched and developed better selections of Nosiola, a native Trentino grape variety, and the result is zesty and aromatic, offering an ideal summer white. The Pinot Grigio is aromatic yet intense, which only develops further complexity with bottle age. ‘Olivar’, a barrel-fermented blend of Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, is one of Trentino’s best white wines. Their reds have improved considerably in recent years, with the addition of Lagrein and Teroldego to the blend. ‘Moratèl’, a blend of Merlot, Lagrein, Cabernet Sauvignon and Teroldego, shows a ripeness and depth of flavour usually lacking from most reds of this region.
The Lagrein grapes are grown on the flat land of Pressano, where soils are deep and loose. The vines are pergola trained, with a density of 3,500 vines per hectare. The Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Teroldego are grown in the Sarca valley, between the villages of Ceniga and Dro, 13 kilometres north of Lake Garda, at an altitude of 120 metres above sea level. Soils here are moderately chalky with 30% clay. The vines are on average 20 years old, both Guyot and pergola trained, planted at an average density of 4,000 per hectare.
The 2021 vintage began with a cold spring that delayed flowering but ultimately proved beneficial, protecting the vines from late frost damage. A warm, stable summer then provided ideal ripening conditions for both white and red varieties, although overall production remained below average. Harvest began with Lagrein and Teroldego at the end of September, followed by Merlot and Cabernet in the first week of October.
The grapes were hand-picked, partially destemmed, and partially fermented as whole bunches. Fermentation took place over eight days in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats at 25–30 °C, followed by further maceration: 10 days for Lagrein and Teroldego, and 20 days for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was then transferred to 225-litre French oak barrels (20–30% new oak) for 12 months, during which malolactic fermentation occurred. After bottling, the wine was aged for a further six months prior to release.
This wine displays a deep ruby-red colour with youthful violet highlights. Aromatically complex, it offers notes of wild cherry, raspberry, and blackcurrant, which carry through to a supple palate supported by a firm tannic backbone typical of clay soils.
