Italiano
The Lady of Pallagrello: Paola Riccio, Alepa Vini
Paola Riccio has taken over her family’s estate in the province of Caserta focusing above all on the Pallagrello grape, both the white and red variety.
Going through the gate to the road that leads to the Alepa winery means entering the world of the vigneron Paola Riccio, the Lady of Pallagrello, who produces the wine of the Bourbons from a grape that has both a red and white variety. Alepa has been producing wine since 1993 in the Caiazzo Hills, just a few kilometers from the Caserta Royal Palace, but only became a wine estate in 2003. The winery is also Paola’s home, a colonial style house set in the green landscape with a garden and surrounded by vineyards.
Paola not only promotes her wines full time but also, for several years now, she manages her vineyards – cultivated using eco-sustainable methods – and the work done in the winery. She freely admits that, in the past, she had trouble selling her wine due to their unusual style, which includes aging long in the cellar to give the wine truly particular nuances. Alepa produces vibrant wines that have a propensity to age long, the result of a well-defined method and modus operandi aimed at making them recognizable as ambassadors of the territory.
Aside from Pallagrello, which produce several different wines, including one without sulfites, Alepa also grows some red Aglianico and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, as well as the white varietals Falanghina and Greco, cultivated in small, history vineyard.
Riccio Bianco 2013
91/100 - € 15,00
Made from Pallagrello Bianco grapes and matured in stainless steel. A broad bouquet of white flowers and fruit followed by notes of aromatic herbs and moss with a fresh, saline and bold mouthfeel and a long, persistent aftertaste with alternating iodine and smoky sensations.
Maria Carolina Pallagrello Bianco 2012
92/100 - € 25,00
Made from Pallagrello Bianco grapes and matured for eight months in chestnut and oak barrels. The color is a luminous, golden-yellow while the aroma has notes of honey, barley, tomato leaf and aromatic herbs with iodine nuances. The mouthfeel has body, freshness and persistence with a deep finish that has an oriental touch.
Privo L’Eretico Pallagrello Bianco 2016
90/100 – € 25,00
The Pallagrello Bianco grapes macerate on the skins for seven days before the wine matures in stainless steel. A yellow-orange color and a broad aroma of dried apricots, annurca apple, orange, dried flowers and coffee powder. The dense and wrapping mouthfeel is rich and fresh with a distinct salinity and an aftertaste with turmeric nuances.
Riccio Nero 2009
93/100 - € 16,00
Made from Pallagrello Nero grapes and matured in wood for 20 months. The wine has a dark and compact ruby color with aromas of violet, rhubarb, Marasca cherry, lavender and eucalyptus that alternate with nuances of talcum and moss. The fresh mouthfeel has balanced and integrated tannins in a lithe and balanced body with an excellent persistence.
