Leone Conti La Mia Albana Progetto 1
It’s a pretty rare day for me to post about wine from one of the “main” (aka Italy, France, Spain) European countries. Partially, because it’s more difficult for me to get my hands on those but also because that’s what almost everyone else writes about. However, some things are too exciting to not share. Such is the case with a wine I picked up on a trip (a while back) to Bologna: Leoni Conti La Mia Albana Progetto 1.
Previously, I shared some notes on a few of the Lambruscos I got there. The Lambrusco grapes weren’t the only native grapes I was hoping to find during my trip. I was also hoping to find one particular grape from Romagna I’d learned about in the Italian Wine Scholar course, Albana. Happily, find it I did, at Enoteca Italiana – a fantastic wine bar/shop in the city center.
Leone Conti
I do wish Leone Conti‘s website had a more robust ‘about us’ section, especially about the founder(?) Antonietta Conti. It amuses me that the website says: “In the 1950s there were very few women winemakers…” Seventy-odd years later and that’s still a sad, valid statement. But anyway. The winery got its start in the post WWII period with Antonietta Conti who advocated for the conservation of an ancient grape variety, Centesimino. A vine that escaped the phylloxera blight, it would become one of the foundation grapes for the winery. Leone Conti did not take the reigns of the winery until 1989. In 2013, Gianfrancesco Conti followed. Under his leadership, the winery converted to organic viticulture.
Located in Romagna, in the foothills between Santa Lucia and Oriolo dei Fichi, Leoni Conti is now fully committed to integrating biodiversity in its vineyards, “…following the rhythm of the seasons and respecting the land.” Its vineyards cover 22 hectares planted mainly to traditional, native grapes such as: Albana, Famoso, Trebbiano, Uva Ruggine, Sangiovese, Centesimino, and Termarina.
Albana and Romagna Albana DOCG
Albana is an ancient grape with a murky past and several origin stories. However and whencever it came about, it has grown in Romagna since at least the Middle Ages. It’s a bit of a finicky grape, needing the best sites and calcareous clay soils. Vineyard managers have to take care to restrict yields as it is a vigorous and over-productive vine. Its skins are thick, contributing both to the wine’s texture and the grape’s suitability for sweet, botrytised wine production.
Romana Albana DOCG was not only Emilia-Romagna’s first DOCG, but also Italy’s first white wine DOCG (1987). Under the appellation’s regulations, wine must be still (there’s a separate appellation for sparkling Albana) but can be produced as dry, medium-dry, sweet, and passito. As a dry wine, it can be aged in stainless steel or wood, and some producers are experimenting with extended skin contact and clay vessels.
Leoni Conti La Mia Albana Progetto 1, 2022
I had to refresh my memory about the grape’s properties when I opened this. The color! I knew that there are some skin contact experiments happening, but not with this wine. The intense color comes only from the thick, phenolic-laden skins. Wowza.
Leoni Conti La Mia Albana Progetto 1’s wowza factor did not end with its color! Intense aromas of tree fruit, citrus, apricot, and chamomile wrapped in a spicy-earthy coating did a tantalizing dance under my nose. Full-bodied and powerful on the palate with texture and a whopping 14.5% ABV. Flavors of fruit preserves, orange peel, citrus oil, and flower honey painted my mouth and lingered long after the wine was gone.
Absolutely gorgeous. Kicking myself for having only bought one bottle. Hopefully, I will be able to get back to the region sooner rather than later and explore this variety more fully!
No Comments