Old-vine passito Primitivo wine with very rich and concentrated tastes of blackberry and liquorice

Pietrafinita is the top wine of the winery, and as such it’s only produced in the best years. It has quite a remarkable depth of flavour, because of the particular winemaking process.

Winemaking

The grapes for Pietrafinita come from a vineyard with “old vines” aged 55-60 years. After harvesting by hand, the grapes undergo a period of appasimento – they are dried until they almost become raisins, in wooden crates for a period of one month. As the water evaporates, the acids and flavours in the grapes become more concentrated.

The appasimento process is very long and expensive, because the grapes lose so much volume and can produce much less wine. So, it’s typically used only to make premium wines like Valpolicella Superiore or Amarone.

After drying, the grapes are delicately pressed, and fermented for two weeks. The resulting wine is then aged in small French oak barriques for twelve months. Finally, after bottling the wine is allowed to settle for six months, so its flavours have time to fully integrate and develop.

Tasting notes

This wine has a very concentrated nose that brings out all the precious flavours of Primitivo. In the glass, Pietrafinita has a deep ruby colour. It offers a bold aroma of blackberry, blackcurrant and liquorice, as well as a savoury balsamic undertone. Since it’s made from passito grapes, this wine has a complex palette of dried raisins, dates and prunes, followed by notes of coconut and cinnamon. Although this Primitivo wine is full of sweet fruity flavours, in the mouth it’s dry, and with powerful tannins. It’s full-bodied, has a high level of alcohol and fresh acidity – which will extend its life in the cellar. Pietrafinita offers a long, deep finish, with the taste of blackberries and liquorice lingering in the mouth.

Cellaring potential

15 years

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 – Bronze Medal (2019) | Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 – Bronze Medal (2019) | I Vini di Veronelli – 2 stars (2015 vintage) | Luca Maroni – 91 points (2011 vintage)