Progetto Calcarius, Hellen Rosso (100% Nero di Troia) IGP PUGLIA, ITALY

Hellen Rosso 100% Nero di Troia, medium bodied, generous red fruit, thirst quenching yet comforting. Mulberry, blackberry fruit mingling with juicy red berries and ending with saline notes.

PROGETTO CALCARIUS, Apricena Certified Biodynamic, natural
Calcarius are based in Apricena, in the northern region of Gargano, Puglia. Valentina Passalacqua owns a farm comprising 80 hectares of vines, fruit and vegetables, she has been a leader in biodynamic agriculture in Puglia since 2000.

Progetto Calcarius comes from 8-ha of Valentina’s vineyard planted on Kimmerridgean soils, where calcareous stones and boulders cover the ground (thus Calcarius). The project of selecting these wines apart from the main production (with the assistance of Danilo Marcucci) bears the fruits of patient observation, attention to terroir, and a commitment to indigenous varietals.

The wines are naturally made with ambient spontaneous alcoholic fermentations, maturation in inert, stainless steel vats is the order of the day, ensuring the fruit and the soil are the primary focus. Throughout the wines exhibit a restraint, without lacking fruit or depth, a deft sleight-of-hand which while not immediately evident in the wine (which speaks for itself) is clearly a result of the tireless work made of liaising with the land. A lesson in holding back, being assuredly non-interventionist in field and winery alike. They are astonishing, true wines of terroir – mineral, tense, saline and feeling uncompromisingly fresh and alive.