Pallagrello Bianco 'Privo l'Eretico' Alepa 2020

Pallagrello Bianco 'Privo l'Eretico' is an extremely original and enjoyable white wine and one of the best expressions of the rare Campania grape variety. When one speaks of Pallagrello, one immediately thinks of the more (but always too little) well-known red grape variety typical of the Caserta region, tending to neglect its white variant. Certainly, one who does not make this mistake is Paola Riccio, founder of the Alepa winery, which has 3 hectares in the Casertano area cultivated with the utmost respect for the vineyard and the surrounding environment. The rows, about 35 years old, are divided precisely between the two varieties of Pallagrello with a small planting of Cabernet Sauvignon and cultivated without chemical or synthetic substances. All great expressions of terroir, although we admit that we have a sort of predilection for this label. Both because it is so good and the grape variety is little considered. Underdog.

Privo l'Eretico' wine is made from pure Pallagrello Bianco grapes from a 1986 planting. Non-invasive viticulture and manual harvesting are the preludes to careful but non-interventionist vinification, with fermentation occurring strictly spontaneously. Maceration for 8 days on the skins and ageing for 12 months in chestnut casks and stainless steel tanks. Before bottling, the liquid is neither filtered nor clarified.

The orange wine 'Privo l'Eretico' is splendid already from the colour, a mixture of amber and gold that illuminates the goblet. An unusual, pulsating nose, rich but not baroque, where dried apricot, cinnamon, orange peel and honey stand out distinctly. So mouth-watering that it almost tempts you to bite into it, and the taste is an obvious consequence. Full-bodied and textured on the palate, always perfectly balanced between volume and acid-tasting thrust. Long persistence, for an unfailing unicum in the cellars of enthusiasts or simply the curious.