A love story between Brescia and Colli Albani

Cantina Amena is located under the hills of Colli Gandolfo, in the province of Rome, and it came as no surprise that Church officials and many local celebrities were on hand for the inauguration of this new, organic winery. The estate is a work in progress and utilizes solar energy and also cultivates kiwis. There is a special feeling inside the winery, one of optimism and confidence and full of opportunities for the area. It is located near the DOC appellations of Aprilia, Colli Albani and Marino which are wines that one almost only drinks at sommelier courses. The land is a generous and interesting one for anyone who wants to exploit its winemaking potential, something that a few large group are doing with important investments. The family of siblings Silvia, Osvaldo and Enrico Mingotti in 2004 decided to invest in Vigna Amena which their parents, Valeriano and Maria Rosa, acquired from their friends the Prandelli family who had owned the land since the end of the war.

Today the estate has 18 hectares of vineyards, a hectare of kiwis and an olive grove, all strictly organic and cultivated by a young and motivated team including agronomist Daniele Vittorilli and enologist Claudia Agrifani. Ten varieties of grapes are cultivated and while this includes Montepulciano and Petit Verdot, most of the vineyards are filled with Cesanese, Malvasia Puntinata, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The last two varietals were used to produce the first wine of the estate’s new direction, Patientia 2011, which was followed by the Cesanese Arcana in 2013 along with Divitia, a Lazio Malvasia. After skipping 2012, Patientia returned in 2013 in a more elegant and defined version. We tasted from the vat, before part of it was put to age in barriques, the 2015 blend which was decidedly intriguing with its defining scents and aromatic complexity. The historic winery was cleaned and revamped during work on a new structure where you can see an exhibition of the estate-s and family’s history which had a wonderful beginning and has a promising future.

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