Le Coste Pinotto 2022

Le Coste sits in the hills of northern Lazio, where Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clémentine Bouveron farm vineyards and olive groves with minimal intervention. Pinotto is their Pinot Noir led red, rounded out with a little Syrah, grown on volcanic hillside soils at altitude. The cool nights that come with elevation preserve acidity and give the wine its lift, while the volcanic ground contributes an earthy, savoury character. Winemaking is deliberately low intervention, with native yeast fermentation and no additions, and the wine spends 12 months in used French oak barrels. Because the barrels are old they add no fresh oak flavour, giving a slow, gentle oxygen exchange that rounds the texture while the fruit and site stay in front. This is a light bodied, gently structured wine at 12.5 per cent alcohol, with red cherry and wild strawberry, red currant, a floral rose note and a clear earthy freshness. Tannins are fine and the finish is bright and savoury. Serve lightly cool at 14 to 15 degrees. It suits lighter dishes, from roast chicken to mushrooms.