Puglia, Italy
Puglia Bianco IGP
Valentina is nothing short of a superstar in the natural wine world and the Progetto Calcarius line spans many styles and is adored for their accessibility and honesty. She works in Gargano, an area in the north of Puglia, along the Adriatic Sea, surrounded by the Gargano National Park. Work at the winery has been conducted with biodynamic and organic practices since 2000 and with low-intervention techniques and natural winemaking too. The terroir is made up of Kimmeridgian limestone soils from the Jurassic era (similar to Chablis) which gives a certain minerality to the wines produced, a core element of her bottlings. On the label, the element Calcium is represented along with its atomic number (20) and atomic weight (40.08) as a nod to the calcareous soils that her 80ha of vineyards sit atop.
In Puglia, a wide variety of indigenous grapes are planted and used in the production of wine. The Hellen Rosso is 100% Nero di Troia, a varietal native to this region of the country.
Highly aromatic and very reminiscent of summery red fruits. The body is light but textured with vivacious acidity, grainy tannins and a crunchy quality to the fruit component. There's wild strawberries and blackberries dancing across the palate. A flash of mulberry jam lingers in the foreground and is dashed away, to be replaced by a note of liquorice. The minerality pronounces itself, ushering in refreshment, with a lingering effect on a fairly long finish. Really complex but super super easy to drink.