Latour a Civitella and Poggio della Costa: two readings of grechetto that translate into excellence.
Speaking with Sergio Mottura means coming face to face with a great experience and a wide research: after 51 grape harvestings there is still passion and joy in the way he experiments new techniques for exploiting the full potential of Grechetto grapes variety, mostly in the Alta Tuscia, on the border between Umbria and Lazio, which is a very suitable terroir. An attentive mass selection process, started from the early ‘60s, led to the isolation of three clones, which are very close to the pure line. This cultivar is particularly difficult to manage because of its levels of tannins and flavour, which are higher than the standards of those made from white grapes varieties. This process results in a “full-bodied, rich and mineral wine”, characteristics not needed in whites wine immediately ready to be drunk, but that proved to be a winning characteristic in persistent wines’ production. This persistency is due to a gradual awareness, also resulted from advices of some friends: journalists and sommeliers. Following the precious recommendations of Louis Fabrice Latour, the fermentation was started after a cold-sedimentation of the musts, and after that, Sergio decided to age the best Grechetto grapes in fûts de chêne, leaving them on their wine-lees for nine months. This step, followed by ageing in stainless steel, in 20 meters deep cellars carved into tufa stone. Thus the Latour a Civitella was born: “a good wine needs to be full-bodied, so as to take advantage from the fermentation in wood and not being overwhelmed by it”. Mottura goes on to explain: “thanks to Latour’s recommendations, my way of using wood relies on Borgogna school’s rules, instead of relying on the Californian tradition that wants the wood to have a prevalent taste”. Grechetto is a good base to obtain persistent wines, able to express their flavours without resorting to wood. This is the case of Poggio della Costa, simpler but not less interesting than the Latour a Civitella. Among the selection of wines produced by Mottura, we can find four red wines and a “rosato”, made from Montepulciano, Merlot, black Pinot and Syrah grapes, hand-picked from the 37 vineyards of the winery.
“A great wine first stems from the vine, that needs to be respected and assisted religiously.”
– Sergio Mottura –
Sergio Mottura personally deals with the vineyard, he organises training courses for the workers to show them the best pruning techniques and the different treatments. It is no coincidence that the hedgehog, seen as an ‘indicator’ species for the health of the environment and the levels of pollution, is now living again on these hills. Mottura opts for this philosophy: a winery based on organic management and full respect of the environment.
edited by Matteo Esposito, wine expert.
