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Wine Tasting Adventure

2023 Cantina di Gambellara, Monopolio Merlot - Liberty

£9.49 GBP
£9.49 GBP

Cantina di Gambellara is a cooperative winery founded in 1947. Today it has nearly 300 members who farm 600 hectares on the border between the provinces of Vicenza and Verona, only a few miles east of Soave. In 2015, this Cantina merged with the Cantina Colli Vicentini (from whom we buy the Ca’ di Alte wines). Matt Thomson of Blank Canvas has been consulting on the winemaking since vintage 2017, working closely with the Cantina di Gambellara Oenologists Stefano Lovato and Damiano Noro.

Lovato and Noro select the best grapes from the volcanic hills that comprise Gambellara natural amphitheatre, to make his Gambellara Classico. Garganega grapes are briefly macerated before fermenting at low temperatures. The resulting wine is dry and scented, displaying a pronounced minerality and a long finish. The Merlot is riper and better structured than many wines made from this variety in the Veneto. The Pinot Grigio has delicate aromas of citrus fruit and floral notes. The Pinot Nero has an intense and elegant nose with notes of violets, red berries and cherries.

The Durello Spumante is a Charmat method sparkling made from Durella grapes grown in the mountainous Lessini area. This variety has been grown in this area since the Middle Ages. Thick-skinned with good acidity, it has a distinct character that sets it apart from other sparkling wines from north-eastern Italy. The Prosecco Spumante was made using the Charmat method and shows delicate fruity notes of white pear and peach with a well-balanced acidity.

Grapes for this wine are sourced from vineyards situated on the hills of the commune of Gambellara, a region known for winemaking since the Roman times. The vineyards for this Merlot have a south-westerly exposure and soils here are calcareous and of volcanic origin. The vines are trained using the Guyot system.

The 2023 season will be remembered as one of the hottest and most challenging vintages in Italy, marked by prolonged drought and severe hailstorms that resulted in reduced yields.The diurnal range was crucial in preserving the grapes' acidity and freshness, resulting in remarkable quality despite the difficult growing season.

The grapes were selected once at optimal phenolic maturity. Fermentation and maceration took place in stainless-steel tanks at controlled temperatures, for 15 days. The fermented wine was then aged in a mixture of stainless-steel tanks and oak barrels prior to bottling and release.

This wine is a bright ruby red in colour, opening with an elegant and complex nose of ripe red berries. On the palate, it is velvety, round and full-bodied.