Abbia Nova Cesanese del Piglio 2020

Abbia Nova is the project of cousins Daniele and Pierluca Proietti, based in Piglio, roughly 30 miles east of Rome in the Frosinone province of Lazio. Their 7 hectares are divided across multiple small parcels on the key cru sites of the Cesanese del Piglio DOCG, with vineyards ranging from 15 to 90 years old. The estate also tends 1,000 indigenous olive trees, walnuts, and medicinal herbs alongside the vines.

This wine is made from 100% Cesanese d'Affile, the more structured and smaller-berried of the two Cesanese clones permitted in the DOCG. Grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented with indigenous yeasts. Aging takes place in amphora and demijohns. No fining, no filtration, and minimal added sulfites.

The Proiettis moved toward organic farming in the 1980s and have since incorporated biodynamic principles, Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming methods, and homeopathic treatments. They have largely replaced conventional sulfur and copper treatments with natural resistance methods they produce themselves. The cellar is a small country house on the ancient Roman consular road, equipped with amphoras, concrete tanks, barrels, and glass demijohns.

Cesanese del Piglio DOCG earned its status in 2008, becoming the first and only red wine DOCG in Lazio. The appellation spans five municipalities on the slopes of the Monti Ernici, with soils of iron-rich red clay, sandstone, volcanic material, and calcareous subsoil. Vineyards sit at elevations between 200 and 600 meters above sea level, and significant diurnal temperature variation preserves acidity while allowing full phenolic ripeness.