Red

Arvelé

By Cascina Gilli, Monferrato, Piemonte, Italy

Cascina Gilli Arvelé

Arvelé, "revelation" in Piedmontese dialect, is Cascina Gilli's Freisa d'Asti Superiore from an old single vineyard on the Cornareto hill, aged in barrique for a structured, long-lived style.

Tasting notes

Deep ruby red. The nose opens on ripe fruit and jam with hints of pepper, incense, wet stone and wet slate; barrel ageing adds cacao, coffee and caramel, with tertiary notes of wet leaves, forest floor, goudron, leather and balsamic hints developing after a few years in bottle. Great structure on the palate, with vibrant acidity and firm but soft tannins, a long, deep finish.

Pairs well with

Pappardelle with duck ragout, guinea fowl stuffed with apples, foie gras and seasoned cheeses.

Technical details

Style
Red
Denomination
Freisa d'Asti DOC Superiore
Grape
Freisa 100%
Cru / vineyard
Cornareto
Production area
Cornareto hill
Soil
Grey-blue clayey marl with a significant limestone component
Exposure
SSE
Harvest
Manual harvest in October, when the grapes are slightly over-ripe
Vineyard planting
4,100 vines/ha, Guyot trained, vines young to 40 years old
Vinification
Selected from an old, almost historical vineyard on the Cornareto hill, kept to under 40 quintals per hectare, with grapes ripened almost to the point of withering. Traditional winemaking with frequent pumping-over and délestage extracts colour and tannin for a wine of great structure, then about 18 months in barriques of first and second passage allow a slow, optimal absorption of oxygen.
Storage
Ready to drink now but has good potential for ageing (6-8 years).

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