Il Falcone Castel del Monte Riserva DOC

Il Falcone Castel del Monte Riserva DOC

Il Falcone is one of the most prestigious red wines of Apulia whose name was chosen by Rivera to remem-ber Emperor Frederick II of Swabia who built the castle called Castel del Monte near Andria so that he could indulge his passion for falconry. The castle later gave its name to the surrounding DOC area. The wine is obtained with carefully selected grapes sourced from the oldest among the estate’s vineyards. In the blend of indigenous grape varieties, the main grape, Nero di Troia, gives to the wine its great character and structure, while Montepulciano contributes to its roundness. The maturation for 14 months in oak and for a further year in the bottle contributes to refine its great structure and develop its classic personality and elegance.
VARIETIES: 70% Nero di Troia,30% Montepulciano
WINE MAKING: Harvest time is in 3rd week of October. Maceration and colour extraction are carried out in stainless steel for 15 days with frequent pump-overs and delestage, to obtain at the same time better extraction and softer tannins.
AGEING: The wine ages for 14 months, 50% in 30 hl French oak casks -50% in 225 litre French oak barriques. A further year in the bottle before release allows
the development of Il Falcone’s elegance and complexity.
ANALYTICAL DATA: Alcohol: 13,50%, Total acidity: 5.50 g/l, pH: 3.49, Residual sugar: 1,60 g/l, Total S02: 75 mg/l.
PRODUCTION AREA: The Murgia hills in the Castel del Monte D.O.C. area.
VINEYARDS: Located at an altitude of 200 metres on deep tufaceous and calcareous soils, the vines are trained to the spurred cordon system at 4,800 vines per hectare. Average yield is 90-100 quintals per hectare.
TASTING NOTES: Dense garnet-red colour; multi-layered bouquet of ripe wild red berry fruit, leather, tobacco and spice; rich palate, austere, very lengthy and well-balanced.
RECOMMENDED WITH: Its dense texture, complemented by barrel and bottle ageing, makes this wine the ideal complement to highly-seasoned dishes, such
as full flavoured red meat, roasts, game, and meats with hearty sauces. Serve at cool room temperature, uncorking the bottle a half hour beforehand, or decanting the contents into a carafe to allow the wine to breathe.
CELLARING: If correctly stored, this wine will continue to age beautifully over 10 - 12 years after bottling.