Conestabile della Staffa Case Sparse Bianco 2018

Case Sparse Bianco is a blend of 50% Grechetto and 50% Trebbiano, grown organically on 12 hectares of vines in the hamlet of Monte Melino, near the shores of Lake Trasimeno in Perugia province. The vineyards sit at 250 to 300 meters above sea level on clayey soils with a calcareous base. Proximity to Lake Trasimeno tempers the climate, moderating summer heat and extending the growing season.

Grapes are hand-harvested and spend one day macerating on the skins before pressing. Fermentation is spontaneous with no temperature control, no added yeasts, and no chemical corrections. The wine is aged in stainless steel and bottled in spring, unfiltered, unfined, and with no added sulfites.

One day of skin contact gives the wine a faint amber hue and a textural lift without the tannin grip of a fuller orange wine. On the nose, ripe white fruit, dried apricot, hay, and almond; on the palate, it is juicy and fresh with balanced acidity and a mineral, slightly saline finish.

Winemaker Danilo Marcucci revived winemaking at Conestabile della Staffa in 2015 after the estate had sold its grapes to the local cooperative since 1956. The vines were planted in the early 1970s and the land was never treated with chemicals during the decades of disuse.