Cantina Filippi
Soave, Italy
Filippo Fillippi’s family has been in Soave since the 1300s and have made wine in the region since the early 1900s working the highest altitude vineyards in the area. The hills reach up 400 meters above sea level and this is where the oldest vines of Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave can be found. These vines, which were planted in the 1950s, produce wines of incredible concentration and depth in a region most famous for unmemorable bulk wines not fascinating, terroir driven wines.
Farming is organic (certified in 2007) with biodynamic preps also used, respecting the natural cycles of the vines and the sustainability of the surrounding environment. The vines cover a total of 16 hectares of land, subdivided into three different Soave crus: Castelcerino, Monteseroni and Vigne della Brà. Each single vineyard is characterized by very different soils which results in different mineral expression in the finished wines: Castelcerino has terrain of volcanic origin and is rich in basaltic rocks, Monteseroni has limestone soils, and Vigne della Brà has a mix of basaltic rocks and limestone.
Each individual cru is surrounded by dense woodland, which occupies a total of 20 hectares and includes the oak and chestnut trees the vineyard posts that support the vines are made of. These nearby forests creates an ideal micro-climate which is always ventilated and characterized with large temperature range between day and night. These are wines with beautiful definition and minerality and a naturalness which is at odds with the convention of the region.
The winery works by gravity flow. Vinification is carried out without forcing anything, and respecting the natural time each individual wine takes to mature. Grapes are hand harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for varying amounts of time, sometimes many years, on the lees before bottling.
These are fascinating wines that change rapidly in the glass and often last for many days open with just a cork in the bottle.
Castelcerino
100% Garganega planted on Basaltic soil. 6 months on lees. Hand harvested, fermented naturally in stainless steel with a small sulfur addition at bottling.
Turbiana
100% Trebbiano planted on Limestone and volcanic soil. These vines come from massal selection of the old vines existing on the estate. Hand harvested, fermented naturally in stainless steel with a small sulfur addition at bottling.
Susinaro
100% Chardonnay planted on Basaltic rocks. Hand harvested, fermented naturally in stainless steel with a small sulfur addition at bottling.
2012 Castelcerino 56 Mesi Sui Lieviti "Foglio 1"
100% Garganega planted on Basaltic soil. 56 months on lees. Hand harvested, fermented naturally in stainless steel with a small sulfur addition at bottling.
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